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By: Sabrina Tremblay-Huet
In legislation and case law about the use of non-human animals, the right to property can serve to exclude and oppress, while also, perhaps surprisingly, serving to emancipate in response to the effects of placing a profit imperative above all other interests.
Read moreBy: Danielle Gallant, LLM Candidate and Environmental Justice Research Fellow 2017-2018
On February 15th, 2018, a diverse crowd assembled in the Alex Trebek Alumni Hall at the University of Ottawa. Members of Parliament and federal government workers, representatives of environmental NGOs and activists, university professors and students as well as foreign diplomatic staff gathered to address a topic at the convergence of their varied perspectives: the recognition of environmental rights in Canada. The presentations of many distinguished Canadian and international speakers, as well as their panel discussions, fostered stimulating debates and ultimately presented a convincing argument in favour of formalizing these rights as soon as possible.
Read moreBy: Carla Sbert
In Mexico, as in several other countries where large-scale mining has boomed since the 1990s, hundreds of communities have declared themselves “free of mining.” Many Indigenous communities have challenged mining concessions on their territories, arguing that these were granted in violation of their constitutional rights. While these are mostly described as struggles for self-determination, they are also struggles for environmental justice.
Read moreBy: Angela Lee
Whether you’re splurging on avocado toast or simply struggling to get enough nutritious food to eat, the bottom line is that what you eat, where it comes from, and how it was produced all matter. As it is becoming increasingly apparent, food is not just a private concern, but rather, has wide-ranging public consequences. Purchasing patterns and market trends are promising signs that people are becoming more aware of the environmental, social, and ethical implications of their food choices, but in light of an ever-expanding population, small-scale voluntarism is clearly not enough. Accordingly, governments and policymakers have a significant role to play in terms of offering the right incentives and disincentives to promote, incentivize, and facilitate more sustainable food production and consumption practices.
Read moreBy: Angela Lee
Urban agriculture refers to a wide range of food production initiatives—from growing plants to raising animals—that can occur within cities, whether in backyards, rooftops, community gardens, or public spaces. Although urban agriculture is often small-scale and diffused throughout a city, it also includes larger, commercial operations (for example, producing food in greenhouses).
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