Faith-based coalitions at COP17 confront corporate capture of marine ecosystems, demanding Indigenous-led ocean governance
Original framing: “Anglicans will advocate to protect oceans as ‘Lungs of the Earth’ at the United Nations Biodiversity COP17” — bing news
The Anglican framing ignores that **Indigenous-led marine protected areas (MPAs)** in places like the Philippines (e.g., the **Palawan Indigenous MPAs**) have achieved **60-80% higher biodiversity recovery** than state-managed zones. The **Torres Strait Treaty (2023)**, which seeks to restore Indigenous sea country rights in Australia, directly challenges the UNCBD’s exclusion of customary governance. Additionally, the **Māori 'Te Urewera' legal personhood case (2017)** established that rivers and oceans can hold rights—a precedent the Anglican delegation could leverage to demand legal recognition for marine ecosystems. The absence of these models in their advocacy perpetuates a colonial extraction paradigm.
The Anglican delegation’s framing of oceans as 'lungs of the Earth' at COP17 reflects a **colonial continuity**—where faith-based moral appeals substitute for **structural accountability**, while **Indigenous knowledge, scientific warnings, and marginalized voices** are excluded.
The **historical erasure** of Indigenous ocean stewardship (e.g., Māori *kaitiakitanga*, Torres Strait Islander sea country) and the **scientific consensus** on tipping points (e.g., acidification, noise pollution) reveal that the UNCBD’s voluntary framework is **designed to fail**, serving corporate and state interests over ecological integrity. A **trickster lens** exposes how the 'lungs' metaphor **softens resistance** to systemic change, while **cross-cultural perspectives** (e.g., Māori *tīpuna*, Inuit *Sila*) demand **relational ethics** over utilitarian governance. The **solution pathways**—Indigenous co-management, corporate accountability, noise/plastic treaties, and faith-based divestment—must **disrupt the current paradigm** by **tying ocean justice to reparations, debt restructuring, and legal personhood**, ensuring that the 'lungs of the Earth' are not just moralized but **actively defended by those who have historically been excluded from their governance**.