The worldview indigenous people have held for the last, let’s say, 15,000 years has finally made it into our modern system of law. The legal concept is called Rights of Nature,
and it’s gaining momentum all over the world.
“What we’re talking about is recognizing
human civil rights type protections for nature.”
~ Thomas Linzey, Senior Legal Counsel, CDER
As our courts recognize nature’s right to live and flourish alongside our own,
we normalize our interconnectedness with the entire living world.
And that is a beautiful thing.
Read more: Should the Earth Have Legal Rights?
Rights of Nature in the News
This is a listing of interesting articles and news stories as I find them.
December 10, 2024
“River gains ‘rights of nature’ under Rappahannock tribal law”
~ Bay Journal
November 1, 2023
“Suing for Survival: Do Skagit River salmon have legal rights?”
~ Patagonia
May 5, 2023
“Nature Lawyers Up”
~ The New York Times
December 19, 2022
“Nearly 200 Countries Approve a Biodiversity Accord Enshrining Human Rights and the ‘Rights of Nature’”
~ Inside Climate News
April 18, 2022
“A Lake in Florida Suing to Protect Itself”
~ The New Yorker
April 5, 2022
“Indian Court Rules That Nature Has Legal Status on Par With Humans—and That Humans Are Required to Protect It”
~ Inside Climate News
March 15, 2021
“Why Recognize a River’s Rights? Behind the scenes of the Magpie River case in Canada.”
~ International Rivers
February 9, 2021
“In Florida, a River Gets Rights: How Orange County became the most populous area in the US to recognize rights for nature”
~ The Sierra Club
December 11, 2020
“This river in New Zealand is legally a person. Here’s how it happened”
~ CNN
August 14, 2018
“Should Rivers Have Rights? A Growing Movement Says It’s About Time”
~ Yale E360
October 8, 2017
“For Native Americans, a river is more than a ‘person,’ it is also a sacred place”
~ The Conversation