Community Rights Photos & Videos
Rights of Nature press conference at COP17 climate talks
UNFCCC webcast of Rights of Nature press conference at the COP17 conference in Durban, South Africa on December 6th, 2011
Toxic Tour of South Durban
On December 6, 2011: with the world's attention on the UN Climate Conference (COP 17), Global Exchange stood with residents to demand rights for the people of Durban and the ecosystem on which we depend. It is time to stop relying on international leaders to solve the cliamate crisis, and to stand up for our right to define the kinds of places in which we want to live and to say that "No corporation has the right to engage in activities that impact our health safety and welfare, or to destroy the ecosystem!"Desmond D'Sa has been leading these tours for many years, and we were pleased to help call attention to both the toxic reality of South Durban, and to offer our support for ongoing efforts to put the community in charge of their local destiny.
System Change, Not Climate Change
Community Rights Program Director, Shannon Biggs, discusses the need to move from a legal system that merely ‘regulates’ environmental degradation to one that enshrines the rights of nature over those of commerce and corporations. Originally featured on the Council of Canadians new new website, System Change not Climate Change.
Shannon Biggs at Bioneers
Shannon Biggs, Director of the Community Rights program, at Bioneers discussing Community Rights Organizing and our current campaigns in California.
GRIT TV interview with Shannon Biggs and Maude Barlow
Community Rights speaks at Occupy Wall Street!
On October 26th, Community Rights Program Director Shannon Biggs was invited to speak at two events at Occupy Wall Street in NYC along with fellow community-rights organizer, Ben Price from CELDF. They were asked to share their experiences working with communities daily to assert their rights and subordinate corporations to democractic, citizen-led decision making with those occupying Liberty Plaza. Check out the film recording below of one of their talks and read about it on the Global Exchange blog!
Shannon Biggs on Democracy Matters
Each week on Democracy Matters, activists bring you stories from the frontlines as communities bring rights-based organizing to their communities - asserting their local self-governing authority to make the critical decisions that affect their lives and their community. For the week of February 14th, the program focused on the question: when major environmental groups accept corporate money, does it affect what they're advocating for? Shannon Biggs was on the show to talk about her work organizing for a right to sustainability in California. Listen to a podcast of the show here.