Episode 67 - Ocean Mic - Paul Powlesland - River Guardian and Lawyer in a climate and ecological crisis
Paul Powlesland is a civil barrister, environmental activist and guardian of the River Roding in East London.
Over the last few years single handedly bringing life back to a part of this river and growing a community of crew re-connecting and regenerating the River and exploring what the legal rights of a river might look like.
Paul is shaking up what it means to be a lawyer in a time of climate and ecological crisis.
He is I believe inviting all professions to consider what it means to be of a profession - in a time of climate and ecological crisis.
After practising as a barrister in London for a decade, Paul realised the urgent need to create greater respect and protection for the natural world within our legal system.
He founded Lawyers for Nature to represent the natural world and all who are seeking to defend it.
He writes and speaks on legal rights for the natural world, as well as representing the natural world (with a strong emphasis on rivers and trees) in the courts as best he can within the current legal framework.
He has a deep affinity for wild water, lives on a boat, on a stretch of tidal river, and has founded community project The River Roding Trust to bring life back to the River Roding in East London.
I spent the afternoon walking along the river with Paul before we sat down and recorded this episode which weaved many threads including -
- what it means to be a lawyer in a time of environmental crisis, and how the legal systems are holding back so much vital and urgent work for protecting and regenerating the natural world
- the importance of reconnecting with nature, our more than human family and working on the ground alongside any systemic or policy change work
- the beautiful inquiry into making rivers sacred again and giving them rights.
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Since we recorded this episode Paul has been popping up frequently in the media following the announcement from a growing number of UK lawyers that they will refuse to prosecute climate protestors or represent fossil fuel clients seeking to expand new fossil fuel infrastructure
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This is also a very special episode for us - being the first Ocean Mic episode - a new collaboration between The Spaceship Earth podcast and Finisterre.
Finisterre, are a pioneering UK based outdoor clothing brand, with a deep reverence for the ocean and wild waters, based in Cornwall.
Dan has been a big fan of Finisterre for much of their 20 year history and has collaborated with them on a number of ocean and wild water related creative activism projects, including the launch of Ocean Activism platform SEA 7 and the Ocean Mic project which we’ve toured the UK with, as well as taking to COP 26 in Glasgow.
We will be releasing a number of Ocean Mic episodes this year, featuring ocean, rivers and wild water related guests and themes.
Because the ocean is the great blue pumping heart on Spaceship Earth and all water leads to the sea.
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Episode links
Paul Powlesland
https://twitter.com/paulpowlesland
https://www.lawyersfornature.com/
https://riverrodingtrust.org.uk/
Finisterre
Becoming Crew
The Remix - Action Learning Adventure for Story rebels
https://www.becomingcrew.com/theremix
Music
CJ’s Mirra Maze - Self Medicate