Abstract

The ecological destruction that has characterised the Anthropocene to date, has been facilitated and legitimised by legal and governance systems that entrench a “colonial” relationship between humans and Earth. These systems are based on anthropocentric beliefs that humans are separate from, and superior to, other aspects of Nature and have the right to manage and exploit Nature. Earth jurisprudence on the other hand, is a philosophy of law and governance rooted in the recognition that humans are an integral part of a complex living community (“the Earth Community”). Since human wellbeing is derived from the Earth Community, it cannot be sustained at the expense of that community. Consequently, in order for contemporary societies to become ecologically viable, humans must rediscover their roles within the Earth Community, and reorient their legal and governance system to focus on the primary purpose of guiding people to co-exist harmoniously within the Earth Community.