Right to metabolize
Nature has rights and the rights of Nature are easy to understand and teach
Metabolic disease has been in the headlines--but what about Nature’s metabolic disease? Without the access to properly metabolize wastes, living ecosystems can go into a death spiral with an overload of toxins.
Right to metabolize in Kemëntsah, Wonaan, Embera, and Cofán Indigenous languages.
“The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future, but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.”
In rights law, a right has to be positive. So Nature needs a positive right to protect itself from pollution. If you think about pollution logically, its just waste products that aren’t biodegradable. So in this case Nature’s positive right is the right to biodegrade, or metabolize wastes.
Metabolism is defined as the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life. An essential part of metabolism is the removal, and recycling of waste products. Ecosystems have complementary species, one species' waste is another species' food source.
Just as animals are dying from eating plastics, Nature itself is dying because it is unable to metabolize these and other human-generated materials.
Nature’s right to metabolize in science
Living beings on planet Earth are made of a handful of elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorous. These elements are easily metabolized in natural living systems on Earth.
As humans have learned to mine and concentrate metals, process petroleum into fuel and plastics, and generate nuclear energy and waste, ecosystems have accumulated increasing amounts of materials that simply cannot be metabolized by the ecosystems into which they are discarded. As a result, fish are contaminated with pharmaceuticals and heavy metals, and the water and air everywhere on the planet is contaminated with microplastics.
Without the ability to metabolize, Nature is unable to provide a livable ecosystem.
Fortunately, nature evolves and with human help, it is possible to preserve metabolism of today’s intact ecosystems. In other places, new types of ecosystems are evolving. Rainforests have provided a natural fungus that can metabolize some types of plastics and possibly even nuclear waste.
However, metabolic processes have a much slower pace of recovery than the pace at which human societies are producing such waste, so it’s essential to find ways to balance these forces to maintain Nature’s right to metabolize.
Nature’s right to metabolize in natural law
“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.”
Natural law is not like human law. Natural law cannot be violated. When we release materials that Nature cannot metabolize, those materials simply stay in our environment, and eventually find their way into our bodies.
Choking nature with harmful substances always leads to dire effects on human lives, as those substances return to us in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the foods we eat.
Here are some examples of how Nature’s right to metabolize has been violated, and the natural consequences.
Mining and fracking: Mining and fracking literally destroy mountains. The earth that has been disrupted can never be restored, and the pollutants that leach into the earth from these activities cannot be metabolized.
Pesticides and herbicides: Destruction of natural pollinators and plant life that are part of Nature’s cyclical metabolism have compromised Nature’s ability to self-heal.
Petrochemicals and plastics: Wide-scale dumping of non-organic matter into Nature is literally choking animals, waterways, and even the ocean itself..
Blocking of Nature’s metabolism causes a downward spiral in which renewable resources can no longer renew themselves.
Preserving intact ecosystems is the number one way to respect the Rights of Nature. In places where ecosystems have been damaged, working with the altered environments is essential. Sustainable agriculture has started to show results in restoring metabolic health in some areas.
Nature’s right to metabolize in human law
When Nature has rights, those rights can be enforced. We have seen good evolution of the enforcement of the rights of Nature to biodegrade or metabolize wastes.
Organizations such as Stop Ecocide have led the way in terms of legal precedent in defending Nature’s right to metabolize. With the International Criminal Court’s recent deliberations on making ecocide a crime, corporations and governments will need to take into consideration that there may be heavy costs involved when Nature’s metabolism is disrupted.
Plastics pollution: The US state of California is suing Exxon and Mobil for plastics pollution.
Mining: Legal action required a mining company to relinquish its rights to mining in the US state of Michigan.
Jail terms: The European Union, recognizing that some companies see fines as the “cost of doing business” has implemented regulations that can impose up to 10 years in jail to individuals and company representatives for environmental crimes.
Water pollution: The company 3M was fined $10.3 billion for production of “forever chemicals”.
While corporations can cover the costs of lawsuits, they can’t cover the years of life lost for executives who spend time in jail.
Nature’s right to metabolize in spiritual law
Indigenous Peoples and many spiritual cultures have a profound appreciation for the cycles of death and rebirth in Nature.
The ability of Nature to renew itself, the cycles of water, earth, air, and fire repeat themselves in the relationship of humanity to the natural world. They are embedded in our poetry, our songs, our art, and our myths.
Many Indigenous cultures view the natural world as a series of cycles, where waste is not something to be discarded but rather a resource that feeds back into the ecosystem. In this view, the death and decay of plants, animals, and organic matter is essential for new growth. For example:
Indigenous peoples of the Amazon Rainforest believe in the natural regeneration of the forest, where fallen trees and decaying plants nourish the soil, creating a continuous cycle of life and death.
First Nations of North America, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), have long taught the "Seven Generations" principle, which emphasizes that every action—including how waste is managed—should consider its impact on the environment for seven generations into the future.
Australian Aboriginal cultures see waste and recycling through the lens of their connection to the land, with stories from the Dreamtime (creation myths) teaching that the Earth takes care of itself if humans do not interfere excessively.
Inuit culture has long depended on the sustainable use of animals, ensuring that all parts of an animal are used, thereby minimizing waste and returning organic matter back to Nature for decomposition.
The Maori people of New Zealand traditionally practice "Utu" or balance, which includes taking care of Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) by allowing her to absorb and regenerate from organic waste.
Andean indigenous cultures in South America, such as the Quechua and Aymara, believe in the principle of "Pachamama" (Mother Earth) and practice offerings to the land. They see the decomposition of waste as part of giving back to Pachamama, ensuring that the soil remains fertile.
African Indigenous traditions often honor scavenger animals like vultures for their role in cleaning up dead matter, viewing these animals as essential parts of the ecosystem that help nature recycle waste efficiently.
Hindu and Buddhist cultures in Indigenous India and Nepal recognize waste and regeneration in nature as part of the cosmic cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Decomposition is linked to the idea of karma and the eternal return of energy in new forms.
In conclusion, Nature’s right to metabolize
In conclusion, Nature’s right to metabolism is fundamental for the thriving of all life on earth, including humans.
The body of the earth is not just similar to our own bodies; the very things that keep us alive are the things that keep earth alive. As we would not want to swallow plastics, poisons, and harmful chemicals, we do not want to feed such things to the plants and animals that feed us.
Human thriving and planetary thriving are one and the same.
🌎 We call for Nature’s right to metabolize to be included in the Rights of Nature 🌍
Written by Grace Rachmany and Drea Burbank. Grace is a professional writer and civtech expert, and Drea is an MD-technologist.
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For Nature. With ❤️.
