Law Commons^™

Why "Managing" Biodiversity Will Fail: An Alternative Approach To Sustainable Exploitation For International Law, Kyle Ash

Animal Law Review

The role of humans in mass extinctions necessitates an assessment of the collective human psychology responsible for the degradation of Earth’s life support systems. In this paper, the Author will cite instruments and discourse relevant to international environmental law to illustrate how an antiquated conception of biological hierarchies is condoned whenever other species are mentioned. As reflected in the law, humans do not just believe we are existentially unconnected with the rest of life, but that we have more right to live on the planet. This, ironically, allows us to rationalize activities that destroy the planet, even for ourselves. Nature …