Australia & Oceania

Central America & the Caribbean [7]

South America [8]

How 'Rights of Nature' Is Recasting the Relationship Between Law and the Earth [9]

In 2006, a local government council in Pennsylvania concerned about sewage sludge dumping enacted the Western legal system’s first formal “rights of nature” instrument. Today, numerous countries have laws recognizing specific rights or even legal personhood for nature. As legal expert Alice Bleby explains, this new perspective arises from a wide range of contexts and plays out in many different ways.

SEJ Publication Types:

Features [10]

Topics on the Beat:

Activism [11]

Chemicals [13]

Environmental Health [15]

Environmental Justice [16]

Environmental Politics [17]

Environmental Studies [18]

Fish & Fisheries [19]

Forests [20]

Government [21]

Laws & Regulations [22]

Policy [24]

Pollution [25]

Religion, Faith and Spirituality [26]

Region:

California [29]

Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [30]

Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [31]

Africa [33]

Asia [5]

South America [8]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about How 'Rights of Nature' Is Recasting the Relationship Between Law and the Earth [9]

June 30, 2025

DEADLINE: IJA - AAJA Pacific Islander Journalism Scholarship [34]

This funding from the Indigenous Journalists Association and the Asian American Journalists Association aims to help Indigenous peoples of the Pacific pursue careers in journalism. The goal is to improve Oceania representation and storytelling in the news media industry. Two scholarships of $5,000. Deadline: Jun 30, 2025.

Awards and Grants [35]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Topics on the Beat:

Diversity [36]

Journalism & Media [37]

Region:

Alaska and Hawaii [38]

A Castoff Bumper Leads to a Literary ‘Autobiography’ of Plastic [39]

Environmental writer Allison Cobb, in “Plastic: An Autobiography,” tells the story of the ubiquitous material through a series of interwoven narratives that range from her own experiences with it (including a discarded plastic car bumper), to the corporate origins of its spread and the way it’s now dangerously carpeting nature and damaging human communities. Contributor Nano Riley has a review in our new BookShelf.

SEJ Publication Types:

BookShelf [40]

Topics on the Beat:

Consumer [41]

Environmental Health [15]

Environmental Justice [16]

Health [42]

Pollution [25]

Waste [43]

Wildlife [44]

Region:

Alaska and Hawaii [38]

Canada [45]

Mexico [4]

Africa [33]

Antarctica & Arctic [46]

Asia [5]

Central America & the Caribbean [7]

Europe [47]

Middle East [48]

South America [8]

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about A Castoff Bumper Leads to a Literary ‘Autobiography’ of Plastic [39]

Great Barrier Reef Hit By Bleaching As UNESCO Weighs "In Danger" Listing [49]

"The Great Barrier Reef has been hit by bleaching due to heat stress, the Australian agency that manages the reef said on Friday, ahead of a visit by United Nations officials reviewing whether the reef should be listed as being "in danger"."

Fish & Fisheries [19]

Public [3]

Source: Reuters [50], 03/18/2022

Read more about Great Barrier Reef Hit By Bleaching As UNESCO Weighs "In Danger" Listing [49]

"Death Toll Rises Following Historic Flooding In Australia" [51]

"Recovery efforts are beginning in Australia following days of excessive rainfall across the states of Queensland and New South Wales in eastern Australia that left thousands of properties and entire neighborhoods underwater. More rain is on the way for some of the hardest-hit areas, AccuWeather forecasters warn."

Disasters [52]

Wildlife [44]

Public [3]

Source: AccuWeather [53], 03/03/2022

Read more about "Death Toll Rises Following Historic Flooding In Australia" [51]

Aussie Author’s Angry Look at ‘Crimes Against Nature’ [54]

A historical look at how profit and capitalism have ravaged the natural world is the subject of our new BookShelf review. Contributor Melody Kemp offers her take on award-winning Australian journalist Jeff Sparrow’s forthcoming volume, which explores the damage wrought by cars, roads and PR spin, as well as solutions suggested by models of Indigenous land management.

SEJ Publication Types:

BookShelf [40]

Topics on the Beat:

Activism [11]

Economy & Business [55]

Environmental Politics [17]

Infrastructure [56]

People & Population [57]

Policy [24]

Pollution [25]

Transportation [58]

Region:

Visibility:

Public [3]

Read more about Aussie Author’s Angry Look at ‘Crimes Against Nature’ [54]

Koala Listed As Endangered After Australia Fails To Halt Its Decline [59]

"The Australian government has officially listed the koala as endangered after a decline in its numbers due to land clearing and catastrophic bushfires shrinking its habitat."

Laws & Regulations [22]

Wildlife [44]

Public [3]

Source: Guardian [60], 02/11/2022

Read more about Koala Listed As Endangered After Australia Fails To Halt Its Decline [59]

Australian Regulator Finds Emissions Misreporting By Coalminer Peabody [61]

"US coalmining giant Peabody Energy has repeatedly submitted incorrect greenhouse gas emissions reports to the Australian government, prompting questions about the reliability of national climate data based on company assessments."

Energy & Fuel [62]

Journalism & Media [37]

Laws & Regulations [22]

Public [3]

Source: Guardian [63], 01/31/2022

Read more about Australian Regulator Finds Emissions Misreporting By Coalminer Peabody [61]

Explorers Discover Pristine Coral Reef That Could Hold Climate Lessons [64]

"French researchers say they have discovered one of the world’s largest healthy coral reefs, possibly paving the way for similar discoveries in locations that have not yet been explored, Paris-based UNESCO announced Thursday."

Fish & Fisheries [19]

Public [3]