About

Planet Earth Trust

The Planet Earth Trust has been initiated by Polly Higgins. The website has been designed to promote and facilitate a wider understanding of our human responsibilities to Planet Earth as well as the fuller set of inherent rights and freedoms that apply to all beings. The use of Trust laws are applied by many nations, and we can use trust law to protect the planet. Becoming a Planet Earth trustee involves upholding the duties and responsibilities owed to the planet. Suggested responsibilities are laid out here. Such responsibilities are infact already understood and upheld by millions of people throughout the world without the need to resort to written trust laws, by 350 million indigenous people and 380 million buddhists, for example. That’s 730 milion people – the size of Europe. So it can be said that the size of a continent already believes we should protect the planet as set out in the People’s Declaration.

At the moment our environmental laws and international climate negotiations are based on laws that protect only the interests of business. Instead we could adopt the international principles of the Planet Earth Trust, which would not only protect the planet but give us the ability to restore the damage already created. It is encumbent upon us all to step up to the role of Trustee for Planet Earth. Together we can make this happen.

Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights

In November 2008 Polly addressed the United Nations on her proposal for a Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights. Bolivia will now propose a similar declaration be adopted, a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth, by the United Nations.

Ecocide

Laws do not exist yet to prevent mass destruction of the planet. Ecocide is a second proposal by Polly to the United Nations. It is a proposal for Ecocide to be recognised as an international and national crime. You can read more about this at thisisecocide.com.

Polly is a barrister and international environmental lawyer. She was voted in 2009 by the Ecologist as one of the “Worlds Top 10 Visionary Thinkers” for her earlier work advancing the Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights.

Polly grew up in the west of Scotland. Time spent with the Austrian artist and ecologist Hundertwasser in the late 1980’s taught her that trees have rights too, and years spent inside London courts representing individuals and corporations on discrimination cases brought her to the conclusion that the planet was also being treated unfairly – but that nothing was being done to stop the abuse.

How to represent a client such as the planet? Children have rights in court (a Guardian is appointed to speak on their behalf) – surely we can do the same for the planet? Not so impossible if an abstract entity such as a corporation can be represented and have rights. What are our duties and responsibilities as humans to others, to non-humans? Lawyers talk of a “Duty of Care” – but none exists for the planet. Somehow, with all the advancement over the past 200 years we have become disconnected from caring for the planet and all it’s beings, and with that disconnect has brought disastrous consequences.

These were the thoughts that were the starting point of her journey. The question she asked herself, “how to protect the planet?”, has led Polly on a remarkable journey, and one that is not over yet. Polly is a frequent speaker at various organisations and conferences including the Indigenous Peoples Global Summit on Climate Change, Anchorage April 2009, the Tallberg Forum, Sweden in June 2009 and in Copenhagen during the COP 15 Climate negotiations, at the People’s Climate Summit.

You can read more about Polly here

Polly’s blog: The Lazy Environmentalist

“If you believe only in the world of ‘what-is’ then you shall create more of ‘what-is’. Live in the world of potentiality and you create the world you want”

Each of us has the power to create a better world. It is ours for the making. What is your thought that drives you forward?

For further info, contact emma@treeshaverightstoo.com

UPCOMING EVENTS

United Nations Association London & South East “The Road to Mexico”

24/07/10, 1.30 – 5pm, The Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AF

Read more here