Earth Jurisprudence: Private Property and the Environment

Earth Jurisprudence: Private Property and the Environment argues that the institution of private property is anthropocentric and needs to be reconceived. The dominant rights-based interpretation of private property entrenches the idea of human dominion over nature. Accordingly, nature is not attributed any inherent value and becomes merely the matter of a human property relationship. This book considers how an alternative conception of property might be grounded in the eco-centric concept of an Earth community. Recognising that human beings are deeply interconnected with and dependent on nature, this concept is proposed as a standard and measure for human law. Using the theory of Earth Jurisprudence as a guide, this book then outlines an alternative eco-centric description of private property, as a relationship between and among members of the Earth community.