[pt] Baseada no compromisso com a qualidade de vida das crianças em suas relações com a natureza e nos desafios de uma educação ambiental que seja assegurada como mais um direito humano, no sentido de garantir uma relação ampla dos seres humanos com e enquanto natureza, e mais que isso, de resgatar o direito da própria vida se manter, esta pesquisa focou as relações das crianças da Comunidade das Pedras (Teresópolis-RJ) entre si e na/com a natureza, tanto em sua comunidade e convívio familiar quanto dentro da escola, buscando compreender as atividades propostas que se dedicam a um convívio com o ambiente natural e sua importância curricular. Dessa forma, o objetivo da pesquisa foi, por um lado, compreender, no contexto de uma comunidade rural, como as crianças do campo, que já têm, fora da escola, algum convívio garantido com a natureza, compreendem essa relação, e, por outro, como a escola reconhece e trabalha a partir desta realidade local. A pesquisa se fundamentou teoricamente a partir, principalmente, da articulação de três eixos de referência: o conceito de três ecologias de Félix Guattari e sua influência na discussão atual sobre educação ambiental; a sociologia das ausências e das emergências de Boaventura Sousa Santos; e a defesa do direito à vida e de um meio ambiente saudável na perspectiva da educação em direitos humanos. A partir de uma inspiração etnográfica, a pesquisa se deu de forma imersiva no contexto de uma comunidade rural, entendendo, que, apesar da natureza abundante, a relação dicotômica entre cultura e natureza que construímos a partir da civilização ocidental vem contribuindo para o fortalecimento de uma cultura antropocêntrica que separa os humanos de seu entorno, isolando-os das outras espécies e cultivando atitudes destrutivas em relação a tudo que vive. Apesar da maior inserção da temática ambiental na escola através da educação ambiental e de sua importância anunciada pelos professores, a incorporação desta temática às práticas pedagógicas ainda é frágil, apontando o caráter monocultural da escola e a necessidade de repensar a importância da natureza para o desenvolvimento integral das crianças. / [en] Being based on the commitment to the life quality of children as related to nature and bearing in mind the challenges of an environmental education to be guaranteed as another human right, the research aimed at the way children of Comunidade das Pedras (Teresópolis, in the State of Rio de Janeiro) relate among them as well as with nature, both in their family nucleuses and at school. On the one hand, the chief aim was to investigate from the perspective of a rural community how children from the country envisage this relation, considering that some contact with nature is already guaranteed to them. On the other hand, the aim was to investigate how the school acknowledges this local reality and works based on this local reality. The theoretical basis was the articulation of three reference sources: Felix Guattari’s concept of the three ecologies and its influence on the current discussion of environmental education; Boaventura Sousa Santos’ sociology of absences and emergencies; and the fight for the right to life and for a healthy environment from the perspective of education in human rights. Beginning with an ethnographic inspiration, an immersion was conducted in different contexts, interviews with teachers, group activities with the students and documental analysis. We are convinced that, in spite of the plentiful nature of the context in which the research was conducted, the two-part relationship between culture and nature which we have built based on the western civilization, is contributing to the strengthening of an anthropocentric culture that separates human beings from their surroundings, thus isolating them from other species and cultivating destructive attitudes towards anything that lives. In spite of environmental topics being more present at school and the fact that teachers have declared its importance, the incorporation of such topics to pedagogic practices is still very uncertain. That, in turn, points to the monocultural nature of school and the necessity of revising the importance of nature to the all-inclusive development of children.

"Although the African Commission recognised that non-state actors (in this case the transnational corporations (TNCs)) contributed to the violations that prompted the SERAC communication, it failed to hold the TNCs accountable for the violations. The Commission rather held the state party responsible [for] failing to prevent the violations in its territory. The reason for the failure of the Commission to hold the non-state actor accountable is obvious. As Anderson has noted, 'conventional jurisprudence contends that human rights are enforceable only against the acts of omissions of the state rather than the acts of private entities'. Consequently, especially in international fora, violations by non-state actors have gone largely unaccoutned for. Hence, commentators have argued in favour of seeking an appropriate regime for holding non-state actors accountable for such violations, some arguing for horizontal application at international fora. However, non-state actors lack the status to allow Charter institutions exercise jurisdiction over them. This leaves the option of domestic systems as fora for their accountability. Thus, the emerging principle of horizontal applicability of human rights in domestic jurisdictions and the assumption of independent judiciaries provide the premises for this study. ... Chapter 1 contains a general overview of the study. In Chapter 2, the essay examines the scope and content of the right to a satisfactory environment as contained in the African Charter. Chapter 3 examines the existing framework for the realisation of the right to a satisfactory environment under the African Charter. The SERAC case is considered briefly in this chapter as an example of the difficulty to arrest non-state actor violations in the existing framework. Chapter 4 presents the case for horizontal application of article 24 of the African Charter at the domestic level as a complimentary approach to realisation of the right. The debate on horizontal applicability of human rights is highlighted to show that it is not yet widely accepted but it is presented as a basis for this option. The recent Nigerian case of Gbemre v SPDC is examined as an example of the possibility of horizontal applicaton of the article 24 right in a domestic tribunal. Chapter 5 summarises the conclusions from the study and makes recommendations in support of applying the African Charter based right horizontally in domestic courts." -- Introduction. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / Centre for Human Rights / LLM / LLM

Whilst the mining industry has stimulated the economic growth of South Africa, its activities have also impacted on the social and environmental well-being of the communities and ecosystems in which it operates. Environmental degradation often severely affects the livelihoods of people in rural areas, who are often impoverished. Hondeklip Bay, a small fishing community in the Northern Cape, has been affected by the mining activities of the adjacent Hondeklip Bay Mine. The purpose of this paper is to identify whether impoverished residents affected by the detrimental effects of mining activity have rights to enforce the protection of their environment. These environmental rights pertain to an environment that is safe and not harmful to one's health and well-being. Environmental obligations of the mines as illustrated in terms of applicable legislation, and legal recourse available to the residents affected by the infringement of their environmental rights are furthermore explored. / Jurisprudence / LL.M

Dans cette thèse, il est question de faire une analyse des conséquences de la réforme forestière qui est engagée en RDC depuis 2002 à l’instigation de la Banque mondiale dans le but de favoriser la gestion durable des forêts et le développement des populations forestières. Cependant l’évaluation juridique et économique de cette nouvelle politique forestière, réalisée après quinze ans d’application afin d’en mesurer l’impact sur la gestion durable des forêts, la fiscalité forestière et le développement local des populations forestières, montre que, si la réforme forestière de 2002 a contribué a une légère amélioration de la mobilisation des recettes fiscales forestières, elle n’a pas en revanche favorisé la durabilité des forêts ainsi que la protection des droits des populations forestières. Pour remédier à cette situation, nous suggérons certaines réformes consistant à améliorer cette politique forestière. / In this thesis, it is a question of making an analysis of the consequences of the forest reform which is engaged in the DRC since 2002 at the instigation of the World Bank with the aim to favor the sustainable management of the forests and the development of the forest populations. However, the legal and economic assessment of this new forestry policy, carried out after fifteen years of application to measure the impact on sustainable forest management, forest taxation and local development of forest populations, shows that, if the 2002 forestry reform contributed to a slight improvement in the mobilization of forest tax revenues, but did not favor the sustainability of forests and the protection of the rights of forest peoples. To remedy this situation, we suggest some reforms to improve this forest policy.

Whilst the mining industry has stimulated the economic growth of South Africa, its activities have also impacted on the social and environmental well-being of the communities and ecosystems in which it operates. Environmental degradation often severely affects the livelihoods of people in rural areas, who are often impoverished. Hondeklip Bay, a small fishing community in the Northern Cape, has been affected by the mining activities of the adjacent Hondeklip Bay Mine. The purpose of this paper is to identify whether impoverished residents affected by the detrimental effects of mining activity have rights to enforce the protection of their environment. These environmental rights pertain to an environment that is safe and not harmful to one's health and well-being. Environmental obligations of the mines as illustrated in terms of applicable legislation, and legal recourse available to the residents affected by the infringement of their environmental rights are furthermore explored. / Jurisprudence / LL.M

The popularization of academic spaces that combine Buddhist philosophy with the literature of the Romantic period – a discipline I refer to as Buddhist Romantic Studies – have exposed the lack of scholarly attention Samuel Taylor Coleridge and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner have received within such studies. Validating Coleridge’s right to exist within Buddhist Romantic spheres, my thesis argues that Coleridge was cognizant of Buddhism through historical and textual encounters. To create a space for The Rime within Buddhist Romantic Studies, my thesis provides an interpretation of the poem that centers on the concept of prajna, or wisdom, as a vital tool for cultivating the mind. Focusing on prajna, I argue that the Mariner’s didactic story traces his cognitive voyage from ignorance to enlightenment. By examining The Rime within the framework of Buddhism, readers will also be able to grasp the importance of cultivating the mind and transcending ignorance.