Friends of the Earth Dundalk public meeting on Rights of Nature

Friends of the Earth Dundalk is inviting the public in Louth and further afield, to attend a talk and conversation on ‘Rights of Nature’, to be held on Monday May 26 at 7:30 pm, at Dundalk Credit Union, 4-5 Clanbrassil St.

Dr Peter Doran of Queen’s University Belfast, who describes himself as an activist-academic, will speak at the meeting. He is currently writing a book on the Rights of Nature, and his other areas of research and activism include the wellbeing economy and the commons. 

The Rights of Nature movement asks us to shift how we see the natural world. Instead of viewing nature as inanimate and there for humans to use or own, it invites us to recognise nature as having rights, equal to those of human, and to see both as co-creators of life. This includes the right of nature to exist, to flourish, and to be restored when harmed.

In 2023, the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity recommended that a referendum be held in Ireland on the Rights of Nature. Elsewhere on the island, places such as Strabane-Derry have already introduced Charters on the Rights of Nature. Internationally, countries such as Ecuador, Bolivia, Uganda, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand and Mexico have begun to recognise these rights through constitutions, national laws or local regulations.

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Friends of the Earth Dundalk invite all local groups and individuals to share their experience of the state of nature in our area, how this is being impacted by climate change, and to imagine the difference if we all saw nature as having rights of its own. 

This free event will last around 90 minutes and includes a short film, a talk, and an open discussion. The evening will close with a walk to St Helena’s to hear the dusk chorus. To register, visit the Facebook page /foedundalk or search Eventbrite for “Climate Conversation Series: Rights of Nature with Dr Peter Doran.”   

This is the first in a series of Climate Conversations supported by Community Foundation Ireland and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. For more information on Friends of the Earth Dundalk:

Email: foedundalk@gmail.com; Instagram: @foedundalk; Facebook: foedundalk