People For Earth

Professor Dongseok Oh, Ajou University Law School, delivered a lecture titled "Using Earth Jurisprudence in Legislation and Policies" as part of the second session of the 2022 Earth Jurisprudence Lecture titled "Earth Law for Practitioners." Professor Oh wished to use this opportunity to determine whether the National Assembly or the government is effectively addressing pressing issues such as the climate crisis through legislation and policies.

Prior to a comprehensive discussion, he reviewed the concepts, duties, and fundamentals of Earth Jurisprudence. Earth Jurisprudnece is a theory of law and governance that emerged at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It is an effort to conceive of a larger community that encompasses non-human beings, such as nature, beyond human society, and to respond to crises that threaten the health of the entire planet. There is no book titled Earth Jurisprudence, but its contents can be found in works such as Wild Law by Cormac Cullinan. In conclusion, Earth Jurisprudence acknowledges that the previous system cannot solve the current problems on its own and calls for fundamental adjustments while recognizing the Rights of Nature.

In our constitution, nature is only viewed as a useful resource or handled with in terms of land use and development, which in the current crisis situation is inadequate. However, because it also emphasizes the preservation of the national territory, it was mentioned that this should be accorded the same importance as development. The national territory also necessitated a new interpretation within the international community, not within the borders of the nation.

In addition, he researched the responses of Germany and Denmark to the climate crisis and stated that while the National Assembly makes laws to address the global crisis, civil society efforts should also be coordinated. Beyond an anthropocentric perspective, it will be necessary to regard the natural environment as an object of use or development. He concluded his lecture by emphasizing the necessity of analyzing various individual laws and developing alternatives.