Save Capitalism or Mother Earth?

Interesting speech by Bolivian President Evo Morales to the G77 at the UN on 7th May - snippets below, but worth reading a longer version here. The discussion about the rights of Mother Earth, the rights of indiginous peoples and the damage the West has inflicted on them both when it should be learning from them is seldom had. Good to see it here!

"The third component is the debt to our Mother Earth. This is because not only have human beings and developing countries been affected, but so has nature.

"To honor this debt, the conference considered it fundamental to discuss in the UN a proposal for a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth that establishes obligations for all human beings with regard to nature and that recognises, in the form of rights, the limits that human activity must have if we are going to preserve planet Earth.

"There is not just a climate crisis, but an energy crisis, a food crisis, a financial crisis — the crisis of capitalism itself, which is destroying humanity and nature.

"If the cause is systemic, then the solution must be too. For this, the conference discussed the theme of alternatives for “living well” in harmony with nature.

"The conference said we must learn from the example of indigenous peoples living in harmony with nature.


"Our unity gives us the strength to guarantee that negotiations will be broadly participatory, transparent, and respectful of the equal rights of all UN member states, whether large or small, and to ensure that the voice of our peoples is heard and respected.

"In the unity of the developing countries lies our potential to forge a new world in which harmony exists among human beings and Mother Earth.

"We have two paths: to save capitalism, or to save life and Mother Earth."