“This shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you land, you must remember that it is sacred, and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.”
“The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst. The rivers carry our canoes, and feed our children. If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children, that the rivers are our brothers, and yours, and you must henceforth give rivers the kindness you would give any brother.”
“The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know.”
The financialisation of EVERYTHING reveals the death-throes of money, lashing about for one last physical thing to grasp hold of, a vain attempt to retain its value in this time in which so many previously safe “assets” will end up being sunk, worthless. In Wendell Berry’s 1971 book: “The Unforeseen Wilderness: An Essay on Kentucky’s Red River Gorge,” he states: “I am speaking of the life of a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children; who has undertaken to cherish it and do it no damage, not because he is duty-bound, but because he loves the world and loves his children…”
The financial travails of money cause the rich to grab more pieces of The Commons and privatize them which leaves all others poorer. Nature is a common Good, it cannot and must not be equated with financial concerns. And certainly, above all, the supposed preservation or enhancement of one place can never, never compensate for yet one more sacrifice zone ANYWHERE. Do take measures to avoid projectile vomiting if I hear one more nonsense word about “biodiversity credits”!
Why is there no mention of the paradigm of Biodiversity Credits anchored in Rights of Nature...which improve the livelihoods of indigenous people? Like Savimbo.com??
Because, by creating something called a biodiversity unit or credit - whether or not it's anchored in Rights of Nature - sooner or later it's going to be used as an offset. Savimbo et al. admit this in their (unpublished) paper "An interoperable unit for area-based biodiversity conservation: wicked problems, simple solutions". They write that, while they are opposed to offsetting, "the authors of this paper cannot constrain [biodiversity units] use in offsetting".
A very good article. thanks for the great effort to inform us on these utmost relevant issues.
Here's a German translation of this post:
https://heidismist.wordpress.com/2024/10/05/nun-kommen-die-biodiversitatszertifikate/
From Chief Seattle’s Speech, see:
https://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Classroom%20Materials/Reading%20the%20Region/Texts%20by%20and%20about%20Natives/Texts/8.html
“This shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you land, you must remember that it is sacred, and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.”
“The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst. The rivers carry our canoes, and feed our children. If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children, that the rivers are our brothers, and yours, and you must henceforth give rivers the kindness you would give any brother.”
“The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know.”
The financialisation of EVERYTHING reveals the death-throes of money, lashing about for one last physical thing to grasp hold of, a vain attempt to retain its value in this time in which so many previously safe “assets” will end up being sunk, worthless. In Wendell Berry’s 1971 book: “The Unforeseen Wilderness: An Essay on Kentucky’s Red River Gorge,” he states: “I am speaking of the life of a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children; who has undertaken to cherish it and do it no damage, not because he is duty-bound, but because he loves the world and loves his children…”
The financial travails of money cause the rich to grab more pieces of The Commons and privatize them which leaves all others poorer. Nature is a common Good, it cannot and must not be equated with financial concerns. And certainly, above all, the supposed preservation or enhancement of one place can never, never compensate for yet one more sacrifice zone ANYWHERE. Do take measures to avoid projectile vomiting if I hear one more nonsense word about “biodiversity credits”!
Why is there no mention of the paradigm of Biodiversity Credits anchored in Rights of Nature...which improve the livelihoods of indigenous people? Like Savimbo.com??
Because, by creating something called a biodiversity unit or credit - whether or not it's anchored in Rights of Nature - sooner or later it's going to be used as an offset. Savimbo et al. admit this in their (unpublished) paper "An interoperable unit for area-based biodiversity conservation: wicked problems, simple solutions". They write that, while they are opposed to offsetting, "the authors of this paper cannot constrain [biodiversity units] use in offsetting".