The Universal Rights of Plants

author: Stefano Mancuso

related books: Entangled Life

Main take-away

A delightful little book outlining a Declaration of the Universal Rights of Plants, eight rules based on ecology all life should adhere to.

The books outlines a fundamental declaration of the rights of plants. It poses plants as the dominating life form on our planet (the only planet known to harbor any life). Humans would do well to also adhere to these!

The eight fundamental rights plants are:

  1. Earth belongs to all life and all life is welcome to it.

  2. Natural ecological communities are an indispensable part of the Nation of Plants. All living being are connected in Darwin's entangled bank and play a vital role. Removing species is a crime against nature (example: killing of birds in China under Mao led to disarterous consequences).

  3. The Nation of Plants does not recognize hierarchies or centralized organization. Just as the anatomy of plants and their communities, all organization should be decentralized.

  4. The Nation of Plants acknowledges the rights of current and future living organisms. This means that all beings should act sustainable and not deplete natural resources.

  5. The Nation of Plants considers it a fundamental right to have clean soil, water and air.

  6. The use of any recourse that is not renewable is strictly forbidden. No plastics!

  7. The Nation of Plants does not recognize any borders, migrations to better habitats should always be allowed.

  8. Collaboration and symbiosis between diverse organisms is acknowledged and promoted.

Who is this for?

Anyone interested in environmental science, those who enjoy to read about life from unusual perspectives (plants).