Abstract

The Earth Jurisprudence philosophy abandons a human-centered (anthropocentric) view of the environment in favor of an ecocentric perspective—accepting our important role as both part of and a partner with nature. This paper considers the Earth Jurisprudence of global warming. It contends that traditional legal methods for dealing with environmental problems are incapable of combating global warming due to systemic flaws in the global legal order, the impossibility of national laws resolving international problems, and the undue reliance on economic measures as a surrogate for ecological values in proposed solutions (such as the Kyoto Protocol). The paper calls instead for a global sociological change in moral values and a need for multifaceted approaches ranging from world-wide theological evolution (to recognize pollution as wrongful and embrace a more beneficial partnership with nature) to secular environmental grass roots movements motivated by a shared purpose in saving the planet.