Honouring Life and Answering the Call
Inspired by the beautiful photos of Polly’s funeral, and the momentum of the last few weeks, and with another week or so left of Treesister’s ‘Calling All Women’ I wrote a poem and then put it to a slide show. It is a creation from my heart – from me to you.
This project is an invitation to share and invite people to hear the call for Gifting back to Nature and supporting small countries most at risk of extreme climate catastropes by stopping ecocide by changing the law:
To gift back to life – by Treesisters CallingAllWomen.me
To protect life by Earth Protectors (previously Mission Lifeforce) https://www.stopecocide.earth
The Heart powered Intention is:
Ecocide will become a well known word, a label for the current harm, the practice of which leads to criminal conviction. Being illegal the rate of destruction on Earth will decrease dramatically and restoration can proceed faster than the destruction.
In the words of Jojo Mehta “There is no more powerful tool to protect the Earth, because when ecocide becomes a crime, corporate behaviour is forced to change. Not because CEOs become liable to prosecution (although they do and that’s an exciting prospect) but because ECOCIDAL PRACTICES BECOME ILLEGAL They can’t be permitted by governments, underwritten by insurers or backed by investors… and so they have to stop.
For 2 minutes and a fiver to become an Earth Protector, I’d say that’s worth a punt.
Polly certainly thought so – she bet her whole life on it. Let’s make sure her work is not wasted.”
More from Jojo…JUST IMAGINE…
With a million Earth Protectors standing with them, the climate-vulnerable states brave enough to take forward ecocide law will feel safe, and visible, and supported – states like Vanuatu, whose Ambassador, in a deeply moving gesture of acknowledgment, presented a traditional burial mat upon which Polly’s willow casket was ceremonially laid in the Earth last Friday.
This visibility and support is crucially important to prevent intervention by vested interests.
And our legal team will be resourced to provide the expert assistance Polly spent her last years laying the essential groundwork for.
So here’s the challenge – how will you sign up your first five, twenty, one hundred Earth Protectors?
I called the slideshow creation “Impulse from the heart: Hearing the call”
When you open your heart you can hear the call. Over the last few weeks I have witnessed an increase in momentum of people responding to calls from Nature.
The words “this is an emergency” are now being used.
How will you respond?
Becoming an Earth Protector and a Treesister (or brother) is a great place to start or deepen your journey.
This is an invitation to gift back to life – Treesisters CallingAllWomen.me
And an invitation to protect life – Earth Protectors https://www.stopecocide.earth
Poem by Merrilee Baker/ NaturesHeartIntentions.org
Photo credits -Ruth Davey/Look Again Mindful Photography for the Wellbeing of People and Planet http://www.look-again.org;
Treesisters see Callingallwomen.me;
Extinction Rebellion
and Merrilee Baker
Polly Higgins – on passing the baton
In the last week of March 2019 Polly Higgins was diagnosed with an extensive and aggressive cancer. I posted the following on a FB page of which I am a member.
“I think most of us know and adore Polly Higgins. For those who don’t here is a brief description from Wikipedia:- Polly Higgins is a Scottish advocate and expert in ecocide. She presented to the United Nations Law Commission a proposal for ecocide to be recognised as an international crime. Higgins is also the author of Eradicating Ecocideand creator of the first non-commercial trust fund for Earth Protectors… Polly Higgins has cancer in her left lung (partly collapsed), sternum, spine, oesophagus and liver. It has happened fast, and according to medical prognosis, her life expectancy is currently around 6 weeks. She has been informed that it is beyond the scope of conventional medicine to operate. …How you can help…”
Four weeks later Polly passed away. The out pouring of love and compassion amidst grief continues. And so does her mission.
“Polly, who has died aged 50 of cancer, had begun to see the climate activist movement take up her call in the weeks before her death, with Extinction Rebellion actions demanding that ecocide law be established around the world.” Obituary in The Guardian.
We are being called to pick up the baton and spread the word whilst the lawyers in the team continue her work. In the words of Jojo Mehta, writer-activist who worked closely with Polly, imagine a world with a million Conscientious Earth Protectors…
“JUST IMAGINE…
With a million Earth Protectors standing with them, the climate-vulnerable states brave enough to take forward ecocide law will feel safe, and visible, and supported – states like Vanuatu, whose Ambassador, in a deeply moving gesture of acknowledgment, presented a traditional burial mat upon which Polly’s willow casket was ceremonially laid in the Earth last Friday.
This visibility and support is crucially important to prevent intervention by vested interests.
And our legal team will be resourced to provide the expert assistance Polly spent her last years laying the essential groundwork for.
So here’s the challenge – how will you sign up your first five, twenty, one hundred Earth Protectors?
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOUR FRIENDS?
Maybe something like this:
There is no more powerful tool to protect the Earth, because when ecocide becomes a crime, corporate behaviour is forced to change. Not because CEOs become liable to prosecution (although they do and that’s an exciting prospect) but because ECOCIDAL PRACTICES BECOME ILLEGAL They can’t be permitted by governments, underwritten by insurers or backed by investors… and so they have to stop.
For 2 minutes and a fiver to become an Earth Protector, I’d say that’s worth a punt.
Polly certainly thought so – she bet her whole life on it. Let’s make sure her work is not wasted.”
Natures Heart Intention
“Ecocide will become a well known word, a label for the current harm, the practice of which leads to criminal conviction. Being illegal the rate of destruction on Earth will decrease dramatically and restoration can proceed faster than the destruction. “
Waorani Court Victory
From Amazon Frontlines email
In a major victory for indigenous rights and our climate, the Waorani people just protected 500,000 acres of their rainforest from oil. This is one giant step forward for governments and court systems respecting indigenous peoples’ right to decide what happens to their lands. The Waorani’s struggle is proof that Free, Prior and Informed Consent is the key to saving the Amazon.
Now it’s time to build momentum and scale this movement to support more indigenous communities and protect more lands. The Waorani victory would not have been possible without your support. Can we count on you to help us turn this win into a powerful wave across the Amazon? Here’s what you can do today:
1. Send a message to the Ecuadorian government to respect the court’s decision
2. Share the victory with your friends:
3.Donate to ramp up pressure and build momentum
Thank you, once again, for your support throughout all the community organizing, all the marches and hours in the courtroom. The Waorani are much stronger with you by their side.
For indigenous rights, the Amazon and our planet,
The Waorani and Amazon Frontlines Team
Natures Heart Intention
May this ruling be upheld and not appealed by the Government or any extractive industry. May all people in places of power and policy recognise the significance of this ruling and the need for the forest to remain intact. May help continue to flow to all Indigenous land protectors as they raise their voices as guardians of the land and waters.