How law can save the Earth. | Femke Wijdekop | TEDxHaarlem

The Enlightenment gave us fundamental rights and freedom. Unfortunately, we have used these rights mainly to exploit and dominate the natural world, helped along by a legal system which sees the Earth as property. Fortunately, Earth Lawyers around the world are now standing up, using law as a tool to heal our relationship with the Earth and restoring what has been damaged. I invite you to join them in supporting their cause.
Femke received her LL.M. in International Law from the Free University (Amsterdam) in 2003. After graduating she worked at the University of Amsterdam for 4 years, doing research in the fields of International Law and Constitutional Law, which included a research visit to the Freie Universitat Berlin in 2006. Between 2008-2013 she worked at The American Book Center Amsterdam and Amsterdam FM radio, organising lectures, book signings and a monthly book club. She interviewed national and international authors on her weekly radio show “Samen”, a platform for positive news.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@rodolfotorres2349]

This hit me on another level and inspired so much. I am a lawyer who took a break from the law for some years and now is considering to work on environmental law. Finding this video was a very nice coincidence.

[@femkew.4687]

Hi Rodolfo, this is beautiful to hear. You might be interested to check out the integrative law movement or restorative justice approaches to environmental harm & ecocide (I'm part of both movements). Warm greetings, Femke

[@WarmlyCharis]

My biggest dream was always to go into environmental law. I’ve had a few detours and now later in life, I am a forensic psychology major, but my passion has always been so completely faithful to sustainability and our environment. Who knows what the future holds but this video randomly appearing in my feed just made my afternoon 🌱

[@annalogan9685]

This is super random, but are you vegan? I'm contemplating switching majors and I'm not sure which job is the best for me if I want to help make influential decisions about global warming and sustainability.

[@DollyGarlo]

Thrilled to see this talk from you my dear Integrative Law colleague! Earth law is among the most important areas of focus for these new views and approaches to the peaceful application of law. Treating Mother Earth herself as a living being, with rights of her own - rights that support important human liberties for current AND future generations - is so fundamental, even as the concepts appear at first blush to be novel. This talk is a wonderful summary of the developments in this important area of law. Thank you!

[@femkew.4687]

thank you very much for your kind words and for capturing the idea beautifully!

[@TheMarinadehaan]

So inspiring to see how you use your talents and skills for something that really has your heart! An example to all of us!

[@mundoverde3969]

Brilliant talk Femke- as a lawyer who left the law in my mid 20's feeling totally disheartened by it, your speech was very inspiring! Thank you :)

[@femkew.4687]

mundo verde I am so glad to hear! thank you !

[@badeyakn3658]

Such an inspiring video, thank you! I truly hope Ecocide will be recognized in international environmental law:)

[@susanabbott2461]

Brilliant and inspiring talk Femke - I have been similarly inspired by Polly but felt too "busy" to take action yet - your talk has inspired me to start today.I have emailed some brilliant barristers I work with in the hope that we can start a collaboration here in Adelaide Australia and get to work. Thankyou.

[@femkew.4687]

Susan Abbott thanks so much! Becoming part of this movement and making the idea of Ecocide my own - and now focusing on how we can protect Ecocide whistleblowers - has been so satisfactory to me. I wish many more lawyers will take this step to become a voice of the Earth. Good luck to your endeavours!

[@juanignacionievas1072]

Amazing talk! I study law here in argentina too. Even though i believe that the enviroment is indeed a living thing i also think that we should move away from the antopocentric view that gives the right to ve protected only to those enviroments that if are not taken care of, can destroy us. How can we ask people to respect such a wide living thing while we kill and torture animals for our own benefit? Guess the answer, for me at least, is that we should step aside from our views and race and try to see how are axtions are affecting others...such as humans and animals. How can we respect a coral reef while we suffocate the fishes that live in it? Im going more for a change of views. We may save the planet while being atropocentric, but we will definitely save it while being antiespecist and respecting every life form when its unnecessary not to do so...

[@kmrsong]

Very nicely explained about relationship of microbes and other life beings.

[@justryone8594]

“Imagine it’s 2020” if only you knew then 😳

[@futurekillerful]

disagree with the main idea of the speech but good speech regardless and has an important message behind it, go out and do something to help out..

[@dropintheforest]

I have yet to read about a "gaia", "wildlaw" or "ecocide" educator who is an ethical vegan. I think they're stuck buy their culture of origin.