rights of nature

The UN Wants the World Court to Address Nations’ Climate Obligations. Here’s What Could Happen Next

The rulings, while legally non-binding, could still carry significant moral and legal weight. A group of 18 climate-vulnerable nations are seeking an opinion from the “World Court,” with support from 117 other countries.

By Katie Surma

A ‘Rights of Nature’ Fact-Finding Panel to Investigate Mexico’s Tren Maya Railroad for Possible Environmental Violations

By Katie Surma

Nearly 200 Countries Approve a Biodiversity Accord Enshrining Human Rights and the ‘Rights of Nature’

By Katie Surma

Two Towns in Washington Take Steps Toward Recognizing the Rights of Southern Resident Orcas

By Katie Surma

Mil Milhas na Amazônia, para Mudar a Maneira como o Mundo Funciona

By Katie Surma

Celebrating Victories in Europe and South America, the Rights of Nature Movement Plots Strategy in a Time of ‘Crises’

By Katie Surma

A Thousand Miles in the Amazon, to Change the Way the World Works

By Katie Surma

Chilean Voters Reject a New Constitution That Would Have Provided Groundbreaking Protections for the Rights of Nature

By Katie Surma

Two Lakes, Two Streams and a Marsh Filed a Lawsuit in Florida to Stop a Developer From Filling in Wetlands. A Judge Just Threw it Out of Court

By Katie Surma

Fifty Years After the UN’s Stockholm Environment Conference, Leaders Struggle to Realize its Vision of ‘a Healthy Planet’

By Katie Surma

Indian Court Rules That Nature Has Legal Status on Par With Humans—and That Humans Are Required to Protect It

By Katie Surma

Florida Judge Asked to Recognize the Legal Rights of Five Waterways Outside Orlando

By Katie Surma

Ecuador’s High Court Rules That Wild Animals Have Legal Rights

By Katie Surma

Panama Enacts a Rights of Nature Law, Guaranteeing the Natural World’s ‘Right to Exist, Persist and Regenerate’

By Katie Surma

Can Rights of Nature Laws Make a Difference? In Ecuador, They Already Are

By Katie Surma

New Mexico Could Be the Fourth State to Add a Green Amendment to Its Constitution, But Time Is Short

By Aydali Campa

In the Latest Rights of Nature Case, a Tribe Is Suing Seattle on Behalf of Salmon in the Skagit River

By Katie Surma

Ecuador’s High Court Affirms Constitutional Protections for the Rights of Nature in a Landmark Decision

By Katie Surma

Indigenous Women in Peru Seek to Turn the Tables on Big Oil, Asserting ‘Rights of Nature’ to Fight Epic Spills

By Katie Surma