International Rights of Nature Tribunal Convenes in Toronto to Address Global Mining Impacts

The Rights of Nature Tribunal lands in Toronto to examine mining’s global impacts, spotlighting the devastation caused by Canadian mining operations worldwide.

TORONTO, CANADA, February 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On February 28, 2025, the University of Toronto will host the second session of the 6th International Rights of Nature Tribunal, themed “The Impacts of Mining and the Post-Extractivism Era”. This landmark event coincides with the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Conference, a flagship gathering of the global mining industry.

The Tribunal will explore the environmental and human rights impacts of mining activities and focus on Canadian companies’ global mining operations. Witnesses from regions affected by mining, including the Amazon and beyond, will present cases of deforestation, land grabbing, and ecosystem degradation, and an expert panel of Indigenous and international leaders will assess these cases through the lens of the Rights of Nature framework, culminating in actionable recommendations for addressing injustices and potential violations of the rights of Mother Earth and Earth defenders, and restoration of ecological balance.

The Tribunal will be presided over by a distinguished panel of judges, including renowned environmental and human rights advocates Maude Barlow (Canada), Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca-USA), Tzeporah Berman (Canada), Tom Goldtooth (Dine Dakota-USA), Enrique Viale (Argentina), Danii Kehler (Canada), Francesco Martone (Italia), Heather Milton-Lightening (Canada), and Lucio Cuenca (Chile). These judges bring decades of expertise in environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and legal advocacy. Leading the prosecution will be James Yap as Earth Prosecutor, with Natalia Greene (Ecuador) and Shannon Biggs (USA) serving as Secretariat and Co-Secretariat, respectively.

Background

The Tribunal’s upcoming session follows its November 2021 hearing in Glasgow, where it addressed the ongoing threats to the Amazon, particularly in the Xingu and Carajás territories in Brazil, impacted by projects like the Belo Sun gold mine. A delegation from the Tribunal visited the region in 2022, witnessing firsthand the devastation caused by large-scale mining operations, including deforestation, contamination, and land grabbing. Local communities and Indigenous peoples, supported by organizations such as Xingu Vivo Para Sempre (MXVP), have petitioned the Tribunal to take action against these destructive practices.

Canada is a key player in the global mining industry, with 47% of the world’s public companies listed on Canadian stock exchanges. Despite significant environmental and human rights abuses linked to Canadian mining operations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, Canada continues to prioritize resource extraction. The Tribunal’s hearing aims to expose these practices and propose a critical response to uphold the Rights of Nature and affected communities. Before the Toronto session, the Tribunal held a local hearing on Dundee Precious Minerals (DPM) in Serbia, resulting in a statement from the Tribunal judges condemning both DPM and the Serbian government for their roles in ongoing and potential violations of the Rights of Nature.

The road to COP30

This session builds on the 6th Rights of Nature Tribunal’s successful first hearing in New York during Climate Week 2024, themed “The End of the Fossil Fuel Era”, to emphasize that the fossil fuel and mining industries are interconnected components of the same destructive system and must be addressed collectively. Thus, the judgments from both sessions will be presented as part of a unified proposal: The “New Pact with Mother Earth”, at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025.

This event will be open to policymakers, activists, academics, and the public. For more information or to register, visit our landing page.

About the Rights of Nature Tribunal

The International Rights of Nature Tribunal is a citizen-led institution that addresses violations against Nature and the rights of its guardians, holding corporations and governments accountable for environmental destruction. By offering legal recommendations and amplifying grassroots voices, the Tribunal advances a framework for environmental justice rooted in the Rights of Nature.
Since its inception, the Tribunal has heard cases from every continent, covering issues such as fracking, deforestation, fossil fuel extraction, large-scale infrastructures, and mining. Its decisions serve as a model for protecting Nature and upholding its rights as the basis for effective and just stewardship. Learn more about the Tribunal here.

For Media Inquiries:
Natalia Greene, Tribunal Secretary
📞 +593 99 944 3724
📧 secretariat@rightsofnaturetribunal.org

Josefina Mösle, Tribunal Communications Lead
📧 communications@garn.org

Josefina Mosle
International Rights of Nature Tribunal
communications@garn.org