Extinction or Prosperity? Sovereignty for Nature and Natural Rights Governance for Sustainable Future

Part 1

The Status Quo: A Broken System

It’s hard to ignore the cracks that are starting to show in the picture of “advancement” that we’ve been fed for so long. We’ve all heard development means progress - the promise that there are more buildings, roads, more factories, more technology synonymous with a better life for everyone. But what if the picture we’ve been sold is a lie? What if, in the case of growth we have been pushing ourselves closer to the edge of irreversible damage?

There’s a story that we’ve all been told: Cities grow, economies expand, and life gets better for all. But take a look around, and you’ll see that the reality of “progress” doesn’t match the glossy picture we’ve been shown. The world is changing, but not in the way we expected. Every step forward in development seems to come at a price that we haven’t fully understood until now.

Figure 1: Global trend of protected biomass and international engagement for protection

Source: Author drawn the figure based on data of global average from the country level data of  ND-GAIN index of 2023.

The Development Destruction Trap

The rhetoric we used to hear from politicians, professionals and populists that there were more roads, more factories, bigger buildings. It’s the way forward, we’ve been told. But have you ever stopped to ask what all this really costs? Sure, we’ve got more stuff, but we’re also depleting the natural resources, core materials of any man-made infrastructure, and that can only make life possible - carbon sink as well as oxygen generator forests are being chopped down abruptly, rivers are polluted and persecuted by grids, and land quality is eroding, flooded by the devil plastic. Nature is being pushed to the edge, and we’re all part of it.

Figure 2: Development-Destruction Trap | Source: Developed by author, November 2024

Seventy-five percent of the Earth’s land has been altered by human activity. Wetlands that once teemed with life are now drained and filled to make room for more buildings. Oceans are similarly impacted, with 66% affected by human activities, and nearly 90% of marine fish stocks are overexploited. Rivers that sustained civilizations for centuries are drying up or poisoned. And while all this destruction happens, 40% of the world’s population is affected by land degradation-people who depend on the very land we’re destroying. This isn’t just about nature. It’s about the living beings including people-the communities most vulnerable to these changes. People are the ones who bear the brunt of what’s happening. The people who didn’t ask for this, who have little to no say in the matter, are the ones losing their homes to rising seas or their land for desertification. And it’s all happening because we’re chasing a version of "development" that doesn’t take nature into account.

The Illusion of Progress

We’ve been led to believe that progress is about building bigger cities, having more technology, and growing economies. But here’s the catch: growth often means destruction. Look at GDP, the number we use to measure how well a country is doing. It looks great on paper, but it doesn’t count the cost of cutting down forests or polluting rivers or productivity losses caused by air or water pollution. It doesn’t tell us about the real value of the oxygen we breathe or the water we drink. But somehow, we’ve all bought into the idea that a growing economy is always a good thing. The problem is, it’s not that simple. Take technology-sure, new innovations make our lives easier, but they co me with a price. Mining for rare earth metals to fuel our tech addiction is destroying ecosystems. The very energy that powers our homes, industries and devices is still too dependent on fossil fuels that pollute the air spaces and cause irreversible damage to the planet. So while technology might make life more convenient, it’s not fixing the deeper issues at play. It’s just creating new problems.

It’s all an illusion-an idea that more, bigger, faster is the answer. But what if it’s not.

The Existential Threat

The reality is the path we’re on is leading us to a breaking point. The evidence is everywhere-more extreme weather events, wildfires, floods, and rising sea levels. These are not isolated incidents; they’re symptoms of a much bigger problem. Climate change isn’t something that might happen someday; it’s happening right now. By the end of the century, global temperatures could rise by up to 3°C. That means rising seas, more frequent heatwaves, and extreme weather events that could wipe out entire communities. And if we don’t make a change, the future looks bleak.

It’s not just the climate. The world’s biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate. Species that have been around for millions of years are vanishing, and with them, the ecosystems that help keep our planet healthy. We’re losing the very things that make life possible-clean air, clean water, pure food. And who suffers the most? The most vulnerable people who rely on these ecosystems to survive.

We’re not just at risk of losing nature. We’re at risk of losing ourselves. The destruction of nature is also the destruction of human societies. The same ecosystems we rely on for food, water, and shelter are being wiped out. And the people who are most vulnerable to this are the ones least responsible for the damage. This isn’t just a tragedy; it’s an existential crisis.

 A Broken System and the Need for Paradigm Shift

The system we’ve built over the past few centuries is no longer serving us-it’s breaking us. We’ve built economies, societies, and industries that value consumption above all else, and in doing so, we’ve created an unsustainable path that threatens the very systems that sustain life on Earth. This isn’t just an environmental issue; it’s an issue of survival. As much as we try to push the consequences of our actions aside, the damage has become undeniable. The relentless drive for growth has drained the planet of its resources and pushed ecosystems to their breaking point.

But this doesn’t have to be the end of the road. In fact, this moment can be a turning point if we are willing to take responsibility and change direction. The key is realizing that we are not separate from nature; we are a part of it. Nature, fully operates by the natural law, is not something we can conquer or control-it’s something we must learn to live in harmony with. For too long, we’ve treated the planet as a resource to be exploited without regard for the balance that sustains life. We’ve been believed that nature’s resources are infinite, yet the depletion of forests, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity show us that this belief is a dangerous fallacy.

We need to change how we think about the real progress itself. What does it really mean to “advance” as a society? For too long, the answer has been more stuff, more consumption, more waste. This endless cycle of growth is a mirage that comes at a steep price-nature’s destruction. True progress isn’t about building more and consuming more; it’s about creating a world where we work with the planet instead of against it. It’s about aligning our goals with the long-term health of the ecosystems we depend on, fostering fairness, equity, and sustainability in every aspect of our lives.

We need a paradigm shift-one that recognizes the rights of nature, where rivers, forests, oceans, and all ecosystems are acknowledged as fundamental, unalienable rights. This is not just a philosophical ideal, but a necessary shift in how we govern, how we engage with nature, and how we ensure a future for the generations to come. This shift is embodied in the idea of Natural Rights Led Governance (NRLG), which advocates for a radic al transformation of the current system to protect the natural rights of all living beings. The actions will be driven by the natural law to protect the natural rights.

At its heart, NRLG proposes that nature has its own intrinsic value, regardless of human utility. This approach challenges the dominant paradigm where ecosystems are seen merely as resources to be exploited. Instead, it calls for the legal and moral recognition of nature's rights-rights that protect ecosystems from harm and ensure that they can regenerate and thrive. This isn’t just about environmental preservation; it’s about restoring the balance between human society and the natural world in a way that benefits both.

NRLG isn’t about stifling progress or innovation-it’s about shifting the focus from short-term gains to long-term prosperity towards sustainability. It’s about creating a system where our economy doesn’t depend on the destruction of ecosystems, but on their restoration as well as protection. A system that values regenerative practices over extractive ones, a system that sees nature as a partner in our survival, not an adversary. This new paradigm can guide us toward a future where development does not come at the cost of the planet’s health, where prosperity means thriving ecosystems, resilient communities, and a healthy climate and environment.

The time to embrace this shift is now. Our current path is unsustainable, and the consequences of continuing down this road will be catastrophic-not just for the environment, but for humanity itself. But it’s not too late to change. We have the opportunity to rethink what progress really means and create a world that values nature, fairness, and sustainability above all else.

NRLG isn’t about stifling progress or innovation-it’s about shifting the focus from short-term gains to long-term prosperity towards sustainability. It’s about creating a system where our economy doesn’t depend on the destruction of ecosystems, but on their restoration as well as protection. A system that values regenerative practices over  extractive ones, a system that sees nature as a partner in our survival, not an adversary. This new paradigm can guide us toward a future where development does not come at the cost of the planet’s health, where prosperity means thriving ecosystems, resilient communities, and a healthy climate and environment.

The time to embrace this shift is now. Our current path is unsustainable, and the consequences of continuing down this road will be catastrophic-not just for the environment, but for humanity itself. But it’s not too late to change. We have the opportunity to rethink what progress really means and create a world that values nature, fairness, and sustainability above all else.

Time for Action

We’re at a crossroads. The current system isn’t just broken-it’s pushing us toward collapse. But we still have time to make a choice. We can choose to continue down this path, or we can choose to create a future where people and nature thrive together. The time to act is now. We have potential to build something better, but it requires all of us-governments, businesses, and communities-to work together.

The question isn’t whether we have the power to change; it’s whether we’re ready to act before it’s too late. The Earth is giving us the signs, but it’s up to us to decide how we respond. Will we choose to build a better future, or will we keep repeating the mistakes of the past? Let’s discuss next the paradigms of NRLG and the potential efforts for the required transitions in the global governance and institutions to ensure the nature justice.