Environmentalists have reason for hope in 2014: Scharper

First, Bolivia is on the verge of passing one of the most far-reaching environmental bills in history. The “Mother Earth” or Pachamama law, approved by Bolivia’s majority governing party, draws deeply on indigenous concepts that view nature as a sacred home.

Blending native spirituality with contemporary biological insight, the new law states that “Mother Earth is a living dynamic system made up of the undivided community of all living beings, who are all interconnected, interdependent and complementary, sharing a common destiny.”

As Nick Buxton of the Transnational Institute observes, the law is among the first to give nature legal rights, specifically the rights to life, regeneration, biodiversity, water, clean air, balance and restoration.

The law will also fundamentally reorient Bolivia’s economy, mandating not an embrace of unfettered growth but a conforming to the limits of nature. It radically advocates a public policy of Sumaj Kawsay or Vivir Bien (an indigenous concept meaning “living well”), in contrast to policies focusing on producing more goods for increased consumerism.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/12/29/environmentalists_have_reason_for_hope_in_2014_scharper.html