More than human rights
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An ecology of law, science and narrative for earthly flourishing
Abstract
César Rodríguez-Garavito, Earth Rights scholar, field lawyer, and founding Director of the More-Than-Human (MOTH) Life Program at NYU School of Law, has contributed to the development of innovative theories and legal strategies at the intersection of climate justice, Indigenous rights, and what he theorizes as “more-than-human rights.” Building on fieldwork and transdisciplinary collaborations with scientists, artists, lawyers, and Indigenous leaders in landmark cases advancing the rights of nature worldwide, this lecture examines the conceptual architecture and practical implications of more-than-human rights. It situates the framework within contemporary debates in legal theory, ecology, and environmental law, and traces its practical deployment in litigation, legislation, and advocacy.
Biography
César Rodríguez-Garavito is Professor of Law and Chair of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU School of Law. He is the founding director of the Earth Rights Research & Action (TERRA) Clinic and the More-Than-Human Life (MOTH) Program. Professor Rodríguez-Garavito is an Earth rights and human rights scholar and a field lawyer whose work focuses on international environmental law, Indigenous peoples’ rights and more-than-human rights.
He is a Faculty Associate of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. His contributions to Earth rights have been recognized with a More-Than-Human Fellowship by the London Design Museum and a spot in the UN Museum’s Top 10 Culture for Impact 2024 List.
Rodríguez-Garavito has served as a strategy advisor to leading international and domestic human rights organizations in different parts of the world. He has been an expert witness of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, an Adjunct Judge of the Constitutional Court of Colombia, a member of the Science Panel for the Amazon and a lead litigator in climate change, rights of nature, socioeconomic rights and Indigenous rights cases.
His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, Bloomberg, National Geographic, Emergence Magazine, El País, Mongabay and Atmos. He has conducted field research and environmental and human rights investigations around the world, including in Bangladesh, Brazil, India, South Africa, the Caribbean region, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, and the United States.
