Marine Calmet

Marine aims to nurture a new generation of environmental guardians equipped with legal tools to protect nature’s inherent rights. She created Wild and Legal to accelerate the adoption of the Rights of Nature by simplifying and disseminating this emerging field and providing opportunities for law students to explore this prospective branch of law through mock trials on real cases. In a moment in which the rights of nature legal framework is gaining traction, Marine is creating a cadre of professionals equipped to put into place a new juridical system that is fundamentally organized into protecting nature.

Marine is raising a new generation of environmental guardians equipped with legal tools to protect Nature’s inherent rights. Through various publications and public relations initiatives, Marine introduces the Rights of Nature concept to a wider audience and equips the public with the philosophical framework for effective environmental guardianship. By organizing mock trials on real-world environmental cases and access to legal experts, Marine trains future lawyers who will champion the Rights of Nature. At the policy level, she works with national and European agencies to change legislation and legalize the Rights of Nature.

Marine’s work aims to redefine the legal framework governing the relationship between humanity and nature, which is based, in Western societies, on a utilitarian approach that does not encompass planetary limitations. Furthermore, it appears dysfunctional in essence and has to be redefined in order to preserve natural ecosystems, essential to human life. She uses the Rights of Nature movement as a reference to accelerate the adoption of a new legal framework that can guarantee the preservation of the environment. Marine's innovation hinges on popularizing and institutionalizing the concept of the rights of nature.

Rights of Nature refers to a legal and philosophical concept that recognizes the inherent rights of the natural world. This concept challenges traditional legal systems in Western societies that treat nature as property, subject to human control and exploitation. It is a framework that seeks to establish legal protections for ecosystems, natural entities, and their ecological processes. It grants legal standing to natural entities so they can be represented in a court of law by guardians or appointed representatives to protect their interests. The current lack of legal recognition of natural entities prevents citizens from effectively seeking legal recourse for environmental harms, hold individuals and corporations accountable for environmental destruction, and seek justice and compensation for environmental harm. By extension, it authorizes a great deal of environmental damage by regulating only the extent of pollution or destruction of nature that can be legally inflicted.

The Rights of Nature concept emerged in 1972 but remained confined to a narrow number of experts and defenders of nature until a recent increased adoption of this concept by environmentalists and activists in the 2000s. Ecuador was the first country to integrate rights of nature in its Constitution in 2008. As for Europe, in September 2022, the laguna Mar Menor was granted legal rights. Today, the Rights of Nature serve as a foundation of many citizens’ climate movements.

Specifically, Marine has produced several accessible tools, such as books, activities, conferences, and trainings so that when natural entities will finally be granted rights, there will be numerous lawyers and citizens able and willing to become their guardians. Additionally, she organizes annual mock trials on real cases in partnership with an NGO, with the participation of law students mentored by real judges, lawyers, and experts. This allows them to enrich their culture, extend their network, gain university credits, and practice litigation using a prospective and innovative approach, while at the same time contributing to spread the adoption of this framework. Marine has cleverly used pedagogical tools that meet the interests of the upcoming generations and make the notion of Rights of Nature and the recognition of “ecocide as a crime” matters of key interest. She has also effectively worked with policymakers and international institutions to change the law by participating in the Citizen Convention for the Climate in 2019 and in the drafting of a law proposal with Members of the French Parliament. More recently, she was appointed by the Council of Europe to join a working group on criminal justice along with three emblematic environmental NGOs (Greenpeace, UICN, and WWF).

The majority of legal and economic systems are deeply rooted in capitalism, which inherently centers around ownership and resource extraction. This approach views nature primarily as an exploitable object rather than recognizing it as a subject with inherent rights. This perspective has led to the treatment of nature as a resource for exploitation within the confines of economic growth. This paradigm has been further highlighted since the release of the "Limits to Growth" report in 1972, which underscored the fundamental challenge posed by an economic system predicated on perpetual growth. This type of system raises serious concerns about the ability of future generations to inhabit a planet that remains hospitable.

In parallel, the legal frameworks prevalent in Western societies are intimately linked to this economic structure. Consequently, these legal systems have cultivated a utilitarian relationship between human activity and nature, positioning nature as a means for human gain. This permissive stance has allowed corporations to inflict harm upon natural ecosystems and living entities vital to human survival.

Consequently, when lawyers and environmental NGOs endeavor to advocate for the safeguarding of nature within the legal framework, they frequently encounter hurdles and setbacks. The prevailing legal landscape, intricately intertwined with the prevailing economic model, often yields unfavorable outcomes for initiatives aimed at protecting the environment and nature. This can be attributed to the denial of "interest to act," a legal principle stipulating that individuals or entities must possess a genuine and substantial interest in a matter to initiate a lawsuit or legal action concerning that matter. This denial is often observed when citizens attempt to take legal action to safeguard natural entities. The interested party must demonstrate a concrete stake in the case, either by establishing a direct personal interest or by representing a broader public interest that aligns with the subject of the legal action.

Beyond this legal loophole that hampers individuals from initiating lawsuits to protect nature, the irreversibility of damage inflicted upon natural ecosystems poses a critical challenge. Bestowing legal rights upon natural entities, overseen by designated guardians, would offer a preventive measure against their destruction—a measure indispensable to humanity. This framework is already in place for protected areas such as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and could be expanded to encompass all natural ecosystems, ensuring their preservation. From a political standpoint, the actions implemented post the Paris Agreements to effectively mitigate climate change, aiming to limit the temperature increase well below 2 degrees Celsius, or even aiming for 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as advised by scientists, have proven inadequate. The current trajectory of reducing emissions falls short in terms of both the necessary speed and the scale of change required.

Compounding this challenge is the absence of a cohesive global effort, which further undermines the efficacy of the measures taken to address the urgent climate crisis. Recently, the experts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a resounding wake-up call. Their report underscored that countries possess the capacity to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, provided they take decisive and far-reaching actions in the immediate years ahead. This imperative reflects the urgency of the situation and underscores the need for transformative change.

Marine's core idea revolves around translating the mindset of recognizing the rights of nature into a practical training model to achieve effective implementation. This shift in thinking involves empathizing with natural entities by viewing them as subjects entitled to universal rights, rather than mere objects for human use, disregarding their safety.

Marine offers tangible tools to bring about a change in the legal system based on empathy and harmony, aimed at preventing the depletion of crucial natural resources essential for human survival. While the idea of a connection with nature is deeply ingrained in many traditional societies, integrating it as a new paradigm within Western societies requires a significant cultural shift. The strategic use of the law is crucial, as it serves as a tool that unites individuals under a shared social contract. This prepares society positively for an imminent transformation.

Marine's innovation hinges on popularizing and institutionalizing the concept of the rights of nature. She orchestrates her efforts by leveraging her extensive knowledge of the French higher-education system and her networks in the public and private sectors. A notable strength of Marine's approach lies in her ability to engage a diverse array of stakeholders, facilitating effective legal system change through a grassroots approach converting successful local initiatives into public policies once proven efficient.

To achieve this, Marine employs a multifaceted strategy. She engages law students who are interested in the emerging field of Rights of Nature law. Her approach is centered around the belief that as natural entities gain legal rights, a group of well-prepared lawyers will be needed to safeguard those rights.

Initially, Wild and Legal issues a call for NGOs to submit real-world cases that are relevant and valuable to their advocacy efforts. Once a suitable case is identified, Wild and Legal puts out a call for applications to law students across various French universities. The selected students are then offered an opportunity to partake in mock trials and to formulate legal opinions on the prospective branch of rights of nature law. Over the course of the year, these students collaborate in groups, guided by legal experts and mentors, in preparation for the mock trial held in June. This trial is overseen by a sitting judge. Beyond equipping participants with experiential training experience and valuable connections, this process also offers them university credits. The trial itself is broadcasted live and actively promoted, thereby generating broader attention from the public and media.

It's noteworthy that most of these participating students originate from fields of law such as corporate law and finance. This phenomenon underscores a growing interest in environmental matters and signifies the integration of this discipline into diverse areas of study.

Marine also raises awareness and targets the general public by simplifying the complex field of Rights of Nature, making it accessible for anyone to engage with this field according to their capacity. She publishes books, speaks at conferences (around 50 in 2022), participates in media discussions, and maintains an active online presence through Wild and Legal’s blog and social media.

Another significant focus of Marine's efforts is directed towards policymakers at local, national, and international levels through dedicated advocacy work aimed at securing recognition for the rights of nature. Marine played a pivotal role as an expert advisor to citizen groups advocating for the formal acknowledgment of ecocide as a criminal offense. This initiative effectively heightened awareness surrounding the ecocide concept, which was previously unfamiliar to many in the population, as well as to policymakers and the media in France. Subsequent efforts to officially recognize ecocide as a criminal act have gained momentum in recent times. In March 2021, the International Criminal Court (ICC) unveiled its intention to prioritize cases involving environmental destruction and land acquisition. Furthermore, in March 2023, the European Parliament passed a directive that integrates the recognition of ecocide into the national laws of each member state. Along with other activists and legal experts, Marine actively participated to the advocacy work that led to this recognition.

In the realm of advocacy within international institutions, Wild and Legal received an appointment by the Council of Europe to contribute to a working group on ecocides and criminal justice concerning environmental offenses. This esteemed group included three globally renowned international environmental NGOs: Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Wild and Legal's participation as the sole recent and relatively small-scale non-profit entity in this exclusive working group attests to the organization's notable credibility within the European community and among various institutions.

At the national level, the French Agency for International Development (Agence Française de Dévelopement) entrusted Marine with a key role. Specifically, she was tasked with co-coordinating the collaborative writing of a comprehensive 400-page handbook on development initiatives focused on the Global South. This handbook's creation acknowledges the inherent connection between environmental inequalities and human inequalities, thereby acknowledging the interrelated nature of these concerns. In addition to her participation in working groups and numerous publications, Marine also trains high-ranking civil servants of the Ministry of Ecological Transition on the discipline of Rights of Nature at the request of Minister Christophe Béchu. Marine continues to spread knowledge to local elected officials in French Guyana and elsewhere as she is convinced that radical change will happen once its effectiveness has been proven at the local level.

Furthermore, Marine's significant involvement extends to her role as a founding member and former facilitator for the GARN Europe regional hub and the francophone community. The Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature2 (GARN) represents a worldwide network comprising both organizations and individuals who share an unwavering commitment to the universal adoption and effective implementation of legal frameworks that recognize, honor, and enforce the "Rights of Nature." The primary objective of this alliance revolves around fostering the recognition and practical application of Rights of Nature by establishing a global network composed of individuals and organizations that actively collaborate, engage in collective action, and leverage legal tools rooted in the principles of Rights of Nature. This concerted effort aims to steer humanity's trajectory towards a more sustainable direction. The GARN encompasses a diverse array of individuals and groups - scientists, attorneys, economists, indigenous leaders, authors, spiritual figures, business leaders, politicians, students, activists, and concerned citizens from all corners of the world. An essential strength of this network lies in its decentralized structure, ensuring that influence and decision-making are not concentrated within a single leader or a select few. This approach mitigates the vulnerability of the organization or its ideology to discrediting attempts by opponents, who might seek to undermine the movement through attacks on its leaders. The underlying principle is that a widespread and well-organized assembly of nature's guardians becomes increasingly resilient against attempts to dismantle their collective efforts. Through her participation to this network, Marine is promoting the idea that anyone can become a changemaker as a local guardian of natural entities.

Marine’s deep appreciation for nature was influenced by her father, an ocean photographer who instilled in her a through their shared passion for scuba diving from an early age. This pursuit cultivated a profound respect for the environment. During her teenage years, Marine's father transitioned to a career as a nuclear engineer, a decision that triggered a sense of rebellion within her due to the apparent contradiction between his teachings and his new professional path. This internal conflict spurred her to take action and pursue a different avenue - becoming a lawyer. She studied French and German criminal environmental law in Germany, which provided her with a deeper outlook on the law she perceives as narrowly linked to geopolitical stakes.

After successfully passing the Paris Bar, Marine aspired to work for prestigious environmental law firms, driven by the aspiration to advocate on behalf of non-governmental organizations and individuals safeguarding the environment. However, she swiftly realized that the primary clients of these law firms were, in fact, large corporations responsible for environmental harm. This realization led her to a fundamental conclusion: the issue was rooted in the very design of the legal system itself, and which instead of effectively protecting nature, authorizes a great deal of environmental damage by regulating only the extent of pollution or destruction of nature that can be legally inflicted.

Therefore, she decided to lean towards the movement promoting the Rights of Nature, initiated in the 1970s, that highlighted that legal systems in Western societies perceive the relationship between humanity and nature through a lens of utilitarianism and dominance, which contrasts starkly with the perspectives of indigenous societies.

Marine’s quest for deeper understanding led her to spend a year in French Guiana, a holder of important gold resources, where she immersed herself in studying mining and indigenous customary laws. During this time, she collaborated with local activists to successfully oppose a massive mining project near France's largest natural reserve. This experience not only reinforced her convictions but also provided her with the practical knowledge of effecting change at a grassroots level.

Empowered by these experiences, Marine returned to Paris with a firm determination to address the systemic root causes of existing environmental laws and bring about a profound transformation. She joined forces with lawyers, environmental organization representatives, and experts to establish Wild and Legal. This initiative aimed to educate and empower the general public, equipping them with the legal tools and knowledge needed to serve as effective guardians of nature. The ultimate goal of Wild and Legal is to reshape legal systems to encompass Rights of Nature, and enable individuals to play an active role in advocating for nature's protection and restoration.