Rights of nature law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rights of nature law is the codification and other implementations of the legal and jurisprudential theory of the rights of nature. This legal school of thought describes inherent rights as associated with ecosystems and species, similar to the concept of fundamental human rights.[1][2][3][4]
The early 2000s saw a significant expansion of rights of nature law, in the form of constitutional provisions, treaty agreements, national and subnational statutes, local laws, and court decisions.[5] As of 2022, nature's rights laws exist in 39 countries,[6][7][8][9][10] including in Canada,[11] at least seven Tribal Nations in the U.S. and Canada, and over 60 cities and counties throughout the United States.[7][12][13][14] The total number of initiatives was 409 as of June 2021.[15][7][5][9] The EcoJurisprudence Monitor lists over 500 as of early 2024.