Karol Patrick Amidao

We, humans, are but part of the whole integrated bio-system!

( “The World Without Us”: the earth can continue to exist without us human beings, but human beings
cannot continue to live without the earth’s bio-system

Ecological Sin

For human beings… to destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation; for human beings to degrade
the integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate, by stripping the earth of its natural forests or
destroying its wetlands; for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life
– these are sins.’

For ‘to commit a crime against the natural world is a sin against ourselves and a sin against God.’” (LS,
8)

“Recognizing Rights of Nature means that human activities and development must not interfere with the
ability of ecosystems to absorb their effects, to regenerate their natural capacities, to thrive and evolve,
and requires that those responsible, including corporate actors, be held fully accountable for negative
impacts of Earth systems.”

The prevailing utilitarian perspective that nature is infinite

becomes fatal. Nature is used at a rate past and beyond its
caring capacity, which endangers not only the current
inhabitants of the earth but the future generations as well.
The sustainability and life of mother earth is at stake and
the idea that there is another earth that can sustain us still
far-fetched.
Utilitarianism – that the value of nature lies in its use for mankind and that it can be used infinitely

Prevailing Modern World View ANTHROPOCENTRIC the view regarding humankind as the central or
most important element of existence, especially as opposed to other species or creation.

Some Facts on Environmental Destruction

Forest Denudation. In total, between 1990 and 2005, Philippines lost 32.3% of its forest cover, or
around 3,412,000 hectares.

Air Pollution. Philippines had the 3rd highest number of deaths due to air pollution, according to the
World Health Organization (WHO) study 2018. Source of pollution . A WHO study released in May 2018
said there were about 45.3 deaths per 100,0000 individuals due to outdoor air pollution. China ranked
first at 81.5 deaths recorded while Mongolia was second at 48.8 deaths

Loss of Biodiversity. Philippines has 1196 species of animals and 45.8% are endemic (they exist in no
other country), and 14.7% are threatened, while there are 8931 species of plants, where 32.9% endemic
and 5.1% is threatened

Water Pollution. One of the most alarming things Greenpeace reports is that out of the Philippines’ 421
rivers, as many as 50 are considered dead and unable to support any but the most robust life.

Plastic Waste. In a report released a few years ago, the Ocean Conservancy singled out the Philippines
as one of five countries from where majority of plastics originates. Also on the list were China,
Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastics enter our ocean on top of
the estimated 150 million metric tons that currently circulate our marine environments.

What are the Rights of Nature that we are fighting for?

We need a paradigm shift in order to reestablish our sacred
relationship with nature: “Nature cannot be regarded as something
separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are
part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it.”
(LS, 139). Indeed, we are all part of nature.

The recognition of the Rights of Nature is at the core of the call for
ecological conversion, as Pope Francis emphasized in his speech at the
United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.

There he suggested that a “true ‘right of the environment’ does exist

because we human beings are part of the environment. We live in
communion with it, since the environment itself entails ethical limits
which human activity must acknowledge and respect. Any harm done to
the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity.”

AT THE HEART OF RIGHTS OF NATURE CAMPAIGN

to recognize and honor the environment as having rights just as human beings

: to address our dysfunctional economic system and the legal, social and political and modern cultural
frameworks that are destroying people and planet.