Society for Earth Law
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MISSION
The mission of the Society for Earth Law is to transform law for an ecological age based on the meta-principles of relationality, reciprocity, and responsibility.
VISION
Earth Law calls for a holistic way of caring for all life and all that supports life on Earth. We envision a world in which legal, economic, social, and governance systems foster collective commitment to nurturing, regenerating, and sustaining our Earth community at local, bioregional, national, and planetary levels.
Origins:
Our Story of Becoming
Why We Exist
Earth is not just a set of resources to be used. Earth is our home—the place that gives us life, feeds us, gives us air to breathe and water to drink. We share Earth with other species. Earth’s interacting, dynamic, and natural systems make all life possible. But today, we are at a crossroads. We are failing to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and the health of our forests, oceans, rivers, and soils. While there are many inter-human problems, those concerning human-Earth relations are primary. Many people feel powerless, like they have no say in the decisions shaping their future. Big corporations and the ultra-wealthy exercise control of our governments, economies, and legal system across the world. They have tried to convince us that their way is the only way—that we must choose between jobs and a healthy planet, between security and fairness, between energy and a stable climate, between sustenance and regenerative agriculture. These are false choices.
We believe the law should serve all of us, not just the powerful. Our legal systems now favor property, profit, and accumulation of wealth at the expense of sufficiency for all and protection of Earth—the foundation of life itself.
Our Approach
The Society for Earth Law (SOEL) seeks to operate at a transformative scale—not merely addressing the symptoms of environmental and social degradation but also developing a transformative new paradigm for overall health and well-being. SOEL challenges the old paradigms of the existing legal, economic, and cultural power structures. We aim to reflect the diversity of humanity in our membership, chapters, and leadership. We intend to promote interdisciplinary scholarship, with widespread collaboration as a pillar of our efforts. SOEL recognizes the wisdom of Indigenous laws, customs, and practices as vital. We will value and incorporate this wisdom as well as the wisdom of women, of science, of classical humanistic and religious traditions, and of contemporary thought in our efforts to care for Earth and develop Earth Law. By building a new intellectual and legal infrastructure for ecological health and well-being, we seek to heal humanity's relationship with Earth and bring into being a true sense of Earth community. We do this from the perspective of Thomas Berry’s famous principles: “The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects;” and “Ecology is not a part of law, law is an extension of ecology.”
Take Action
Ready to take the next step? You can become a contributor to our cause, or participate yourself.