Rethinking our place in nature means rethinking the law
As Indigenous knowledge gains recognition and environmental crises deepen, a growing movement argues that granting legal rights to nature can protect it from exploitation.
environmental protection
The growing push to grant legal rights to nature
From Ecuador to New Zealand and India, a growing number of countries are recognizing the legal rights of nature, though not without legal and political challenges.
How environmental laws are shifting the focus from humans to nature
Environmental laws are evolving from prioritizing human benefits to recognizing nature’s intrinsic rights; this is reflected in the small but growing number of countries that grant legal personhood to natural entities.
Trump’s ‘God Squad’ pits energy vs. endangered species, but protecting wildlife can be good for business
Would you rather have abundant and affordable energy or a clean, healthy planet where wildlife can flourish? It sounds like an either/or choice, but it doesn’t have to be.
A national divorce? Surveying the potential for a national breakup
We don’t need a national divorce. We need a new basis of unity, and that ultimately will come by talking with one another.
‘Public Trust’—A Key Legal Tool to Preserve Our Natural Resources
Law professor Mary Wood breaks down how people can protect their right to clean air, water, and land as well as fortify their climate change resiliency.
The Rise of the Rights of Nature
A global movement to give nature rights is growing in the face of a mass extinction event driven by climate change and human over-use of the natural world.
Why Protect 600,000 Square Miles Which Most People Will Never See?
Executive Order 13795, issued by President Donald Trump in April 2017, opened a review process on newly expanded territories within marine sanctuaries, meaning that areas expanded by previous administrations could be opened up for resource extraction. A period of public comment on this review closed in early August; no decisions have been announced and there is no indication that Cordell Bank has been targeted, but the action serves as a reminder that protected areas could face future threats.
From the Arctic to Deepwater Horizon, our Politicians are Failing us
You try to raise a voice because you have nothing but your voice. A voice to speak up for something which cannot speak up for itself.
A Legal Call to Arms for the Planet
Mary Christina Wood has an unsparing view of the state of environmental protection in the United States today…
Duck Dynasty, the Green Party, and Steady Statesmanship
First things first — protect the environment and all the awesome potential of the United States can be achieved. Lose focus on the environment and the rug will be pulled from posterity’s future.
The River and the Road
Float down the remote Kobuk River and you might encounter grizzlies, salmon, bald eagles, and caribou. Oh—and open-pit mines, if Alaska’s governor gets his way.
