"A growing number of countries and courts say the environment should be endowed with legal rights."

"Overall, humanity has made a lot of progress, albeit uneven, over the past decades. Our environment, on the other hand, might be in worse shape than ever. So, what if we all agreed that nature had basic rights similar to human rights?

Today I want to talk about the “rights of nature” legal movement. The idea, that natural objects should have some of the same rights as people, originated in the United States some 50 years ago. Today, an increasing number of countries and judges are saying yes, they should.

Countries like Ecuador, New Zealand and Uganda have laws granting natural objects rights. And court rulings in India, Colombia and Bangladesh have recognized them, too."

Manuela Andreoni reports for the New York Times May 5, 2023. [2]