From September 21–26, the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) joined civil society in New York City for Climate Week — a week of urgent dialogue, strategy, and collective action to defend Earth, people, and climate. Across a series of powerful gatherings, GARN brought the Rights of Nature movement to the heart of global climate conversations, lifting up Indigenous leadership, amplifying grassroots voices, and charting the path toward COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
A Call to action from GARN’s Indigenous Council
GARN’s participation began on September 21 with a gathering of the Indigenous Council at the People’s Forum. Meeting on the autumn equinox, a moment of balance, the Council reflected, strategized, and issued a powerful call to action for the global community: the struggles for Indigenous rights and the Rights of Nature are inseparable, and together they form the foundation of peace.
Chaired by Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation) and supported by Indigenous Council organizers Leo Cerda and Julia Horinek, the gathering created space for prayer, song, testimony, and vision. Speakers including Eriel Deranger (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Indigenous Climate Action) and José Gualinga (Kichwa People of Sarayaku, Ecuador) emphasized that Rights of Nature is not a new invention but a recognition of ancestral wisdom; that humanity is part of Nature, not apart from it.
Participants denounced false solutions such as carbon markets and geoengineering that commodify Nature, calling instead for grassroots organizing and the amplification of Indigenous leadership. A central focus was the Council’s forthcoming white paper on the balance and complementarity between Indigenous rights and the Rights of Nature, to be presented at COP30, which will feature an Indigenous Council gathering on November 10 in Belém, Brazil, during GARN’s Pre-COP30 summit.
“This meeting cannot close because we are still alive, and our generations are still here,” said Chairwoman Camp-Horinek. “Protecting Mother Earth is our promise and our responsibility.”
Watch now in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
Rights of Nature, Power of Solidarity
GARN and Para la Naturaleza co-hosted Rights of Nature, Power of Solidarity: A Generous Movement Briefing, an intimate gathering that brought together funders, organizers, and advocates to reflect on how philanthropy can align with and nourish the Rights of Nature movement, with speakers including Camp-Horinek, GARN Director Natalia Greene, Para la Naturaleza President Fernando Lloveras, Naniki Reyes Ocasio (El Caney Orocovix), Enrique Viale (Asociación de Abogados Ambientalistas Argentina), and Panama’s Minister of Environment Juan Carlos Navarro, who all explored how generosity, reciprocity, and solidarity can drive systemic change.
Defending Earth: Tribunal Verdict on the MVP Pipeline and the road to COP30
On September 23, the International Rights of Nature Tribunal convened once again at the People’s Forum to spotlight ecosystems and communities under siege and to amplify Nature’s voice against fossil fuels and false solutions.
The session opened with the launch of the Tribunal’s verdict on the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and its Southgate Extension, following an Indigenous-led hearing held in 2024 on Yesah Saponi territory in North Carolina.
Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck presented the case, detailing the devastating impacts of the 300+ mile fracked gas pipeline: poisoned water, endangered species, landslides, and families forced to live within the blast zone. “The river is not a resource,” she reminded attendees. “The river is a relative. To harm her is to harm ourselves.”
Judges Casey Camp-Horinek, Heather Milton-Lightening, and Shannon Biggs delivered the Tribunal’s judgment: the MVP violates the Rights of Nature, Indigenous sovereignty, and human rights. They called for:
- Immediate cancellation of the MVP and Southgate Extension.
- Repeal of Section 324 of the U.S. Fiscal Responsibility Act, which exempted the MVP from environmental safeguards.
- Recognition of rivers like the Haw and Dan as legal subjects with rights.
- A moratorium on new fossil fuel infrastructure in the U.S. Southeast.
- Full restoration of sacred lands and waters.
This was the first Tribunal fully led by Indigenous women and leaders, grounding its authority in natural law, ancestral sovereignty, and spiritual practice.
A second panel expanded the conversation globally, connecting it to struggles in Latin America and beyond. Speakers including Enrique Viale (Argentina) and Pablo Solón (Bolivia), linked Rights of Nature to fights against fracking and destructive monocultures in Argentina (Viale), and deforestation in the Amazon (Solón), emphasizing that Rights of Nature is not only a legal framework but a transformative vision for dismantling extractive economies.
The Tribunal is now looking ahead to its 6th International Session at COP30, as Osprey Orielle Lake (U.S.) presented, where it will launch a “New Pledge for Mother Earth” as a counterproposal to false, market-based climate solutions.
Watch now in English or Spanish.
Expanding the conversation: Earth Law, Women’s Leadership, and Youth
Beyond these events, GARN participated in several key gatherings organized by its members that broadened the Rights of Nature dialogue. From Indigenous-led strategy to legal innovation, from philanthropy grounded in reciprocity to youth-led mobilization, GARN’s presence at Climate Week 2025 reflected the power, diversity, and momentum of the Rights of Nature movement.
Now recognized in over 40 countries, Rights of Nature is transforming how societies relate to Earth, affirming that rivers, forests, and ecosystems are living beings with inherent rights, and that our laws must reflect this reality.
As we look ahead to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where GARN and allies will gather to launch new calls to action and deepen our global collaboration, the message from Climate Week is clear: another future is possible: one rooted in justice, reciprocity, and the flourishing of all life.
