The 6th International Rights of Nature Tribunal: The Impacts of Mining and the Post-Extractivism Era
On February 28, 2025, the 6th International Rights of Nature Tribunal will convene in Toronto, Canada, for its second session, themed “The Impacts of Mining and the Post-Extractivism Era”. This significant event, taking place at the University of Toronto, coincides with the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Conference, the largest global gathering of the mining industry.
A Crucial Moment for Action
The Tribunal’s session comes at a time of escalating global concern over the environmental and human rights violations linked to the mining industry. Canadian mining companies, which operate extensively across Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, will be under scrutiny, as the Tribunal focuses on their role in the widespread devastation of ecosystems and communities. This includes deforestation, land grabbing, and pollution, issues that have already had disastrous consequences in places like the Amazon, where large-scale mining operations continue to wreak havoc.
At the heart of the Tribunal’s mission is its commitment to amplifying the voices of those most affected. Witnesses from regions heavily impacted by mining, such as the Amazon, will present powerful testimonies of environmental degradation and human rights abuses. Indigenous leaders and environmental defenders will also contribute their insights, offering a local perspective on how mining operations threaten the land, water, and culture that sustain them. Through this lens, the Tribunal will apply the Rights of Nature framework, which seeks to recognize and uphold the inherent rights of ecosystems to exist, thrive, and evolve without undue interference from human activity.
The Road to Justice: Examining Past and Ongoing Violations
The upcoming hearing follows the Tribunal’s 2021 session in Glasgow, which addressed the alarming situation in the Xingu and Carajás territories of Brazil. There, large-scale mining, particularly the Belo Sun gold mine, has caused deforestation, contamination, and the destruction of sacred Indigenous land. The Tribunal’s 2022 visit to the region revealed the extent of the damage, and it is now turning its attention to Canadian companies, such as Dundee Precious Minerals, which have been implicated in similar violations abroad.
Canada, with its dominance in the global mining industry, is a key focal point of the Tribunal’s efforts. Despite the country’s international reputation, Canadian mining companies have long been criticized for their role in environmental destruction and human rights violations in the Global South. While Canada continues to prioritize resource extraction, the Tribunal aims to challenge this model of exploitation and offer legal recommendations to help restore ecological balance and hold corporations and governments accountable.
Mining and Fossil Fuels: A Unified Approach
The Tribunal’s session in Toronto is not an isolated event. It is part of the ongoing 6th International Rights of Nature Tribunal, which began its work in its first session during New York’s Climate Week in September 2024. There, the Tribunal examined the end of the fossil fuel era. This second session will recognize the interconnectedness of the fossil fuel and mining industries within a destructive, extractivist system. The Tribunal’s unified proposal, titled The New Pact with Mother Earth, will be presented at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025. This proposal calls for transformative changes to the way the world engages with Nature, recognizing the rights of ecosystems as central to the protection of Earth and its inhabitants.
Join the Tribunal!
The Tribunal’s session on February 28, 2025, will be open to policymakers, activists, academics, and the general public, with both in-person and online participation options available, with live interpretation to Spanish and Portuguese.
For more information, visit the Tribunal’s landing page here.
Register for in-person participation here.
Register for online participation here.
About the International Rights of Nature Tribunal
The International Rights of Nature Tribunal is a citizen-led body committed to holding corporations and governments accountable for violations against Nature and its guardians. By offering legal recommendations and amplifying grassroots voices, the Tribunal advocates for a justice system that places the rights of ecosystems at the center of environmental stewardship.
Since its inception, the Tribunal has heard cases from across the globe, addressing a range of issues such as fracking, deforestation, fossil fuel extraction, and mining. Through its decisions, the Tribunal seeks to set a precedent for protecting the Earth and upholding its rights, ensuring a future where Nature thrives.
