CDER's Shrawan Sharma on the Rights of Nature in Nepal

January 24, 2022

CDER’s Shrawan Sharma recently authored “A Debate On The Rights Of Nature” in The Rising Nepal. In this article, he explores the rights of nature within the Nepalese context. Mr. Sharma provides the historical background of the rights of nature movement with Christopher D. Stone’s ‘Should Trees Have Standing? Law, Morality, and the Environment’ before introducing the Gaia hypothesis (that biosphere, atmosphere, ocean, and soil interact with each other to maintain their own existence) from James Lovelock. This is important, as it provides a framework for the legal understanding that nature has a right to “exist, thrive and regenerate”.

With the Hindu belief that “everything is Brahma” or everything as having life, the concept of the rights of nature can cohesively become a part of, and drive Nepalese society. If Mount Everest holds life, as does the rest of Earth and the galaxies, then natural resources have a value that should be protected. Hydropower is serving as a source of economic growth in Nepal. This shows a shift towards a greener economy. Please visit here to read more.