Do rivers have legal rights?
Published Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, 9:46 am
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Dear EarthTalk: Should rivers be given the same legal rights as people in order to protect them?
– Phyllis T., New Haven, CT
“The river flows from the mountain to the sea. I am the river. The river is me.” Māori proverb from the Whanganui iwi (tribe)
Native groups, environmental organizations, local residents, and all those who rely on a river’s health know the importance of protecting them. One idea that has been proposed in order to address this is giving rivers the same legal rights as people in courts. This idea came to fruition because of the concept of ‘environmental personhood’ and its past applications on other non-human elements of nature.
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