Right to ‘exist’: The campaign to give nature a legal status – By Antonia Zimmerman (Politico) / June 2, 2023
A growing movement says granting basic rights to ecosystems can help save them
Imagine a court hearing where the plaintiff is not a person, but a damaged river, lake or mountain.
That’s the vision of a movement of conservationists — gaining traction across the Continent — that believes granting basic legal rights to nature can help protect it from threats like deforestation, biodiversity loss, chemicals pollution and climate change.
“We usually think about nature as an object” that “serves us,” such as a swimming pool or a natural park, said Eduardo Salazar, a lawyer involved in the successful push to grant legal rights to Mar Menor, a large saltwater lagoon in Murcia in southeastern Spain polluted by the overuse of nitrogen fertilizers by nearby farmers.
CONTINUE > https://www.politico.eu/article/right-to-exist-conservationist-campaign-give-nature-legal-status/
