Hi, I am a Whale and currently live in the southern Oceans. I recently heard fantastic news. The UN human rights council announced a human right to a healthy envrironment: “The Council called on States around the world to work together, and with other partners, to implement this newly recognised right. The text, proposed by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland, was passed with 43 votes in favour and 4 abstentions - from Russia, India, China and Japan.» Read the full article here
This historical step in the right direction will be of great benefit to humans and the environment.
But what about us?! We need a healthy and clean environment too!
Orcas, whales, dolphins, earth worms, fish, lakes, rivers, buffalos, bears, deer, butterflies, cows, goats, beavers, bees, birds and trees, seaweed, coral reefs, the soil, the forests, the sky, the air and many more of our relatives on our home planet.
The human right to a healthy environment is not complete without considering that other living beings also need a healthy environment for survival. Additionally, in order for those environments to be healthy, we, your fellow beings on this planet, do a lot of work. Did you know that whale poop helps to keep our oceans alive by acting as a fertilizer, which increases phytoplankton growth, leading to a more productive ecosystem and by doing so, it helps to reduce climate change? Learn more about how we live from this article:
Usually, we live in the deep blue peaceful oceans navigating our way through the boundless sea, by applying echolocation for direction and finding our food. However, when our home environment gets disturbed, for example by deafening bangs every 10 seconds, all day and all week, by oil companies, who search for crude oil in the oceans with sonic cannons, many of us marine animals lose our sense of direction and die. Or, recently we were sad to hear that my uncle Whale, who lived in the North See, was found dead, because he had swallowed an industrial fishing net, which was floating in the ocean amongst other trash.
How about a UN council of the rights of all species and ecosystems?
Think about us too! We are your fellow creatures of this Earth, who also deserve the right to a healthy environment! We even make a contribution to a healthy environment and climate change reduction, how about you? What can you contribute? We know many of you yearn to do that. One thing you could do, within this context, is to call on Governments to go a step further! Complete this idea of rights to a healthy environment, by extending it to all species? And, how about a UN council of the rights of all species and ecosystems? How about a Declaration of Rights of Mother Earth?! Please sign the petition here, thank you.
Whale of the South
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