"Inspired by indigenous views of nature, a movement to grant a form of legal “personhood” to rivers is gaining some ground — a key step, advocates say, in reversing centuries of damage inflicted upon the world’s waterways. "Despite the promise held by establishing legal rights for rivers, difficult questions remain. What does it mean for a river to have the rights of a person? Does a river have the right to flow freely, and does this mean its waters can’t be dammed or diverted? Is compensation … Continue reading
Whanganui River to gain legal personhood
"In a world first, a New Zealand river will be recognised as a person. "The Whanganui River [Te Awa Tupua] Claims Settlement Bill was passed today, giving the Whanganui River the same status as a legal person. "Te Urewera, the former national park, was granted the same status when Tūhoe settled with the Crown in 2014. "In Whanganui they have a saying: 'Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au' - which translates into English as, 'I am the river and the river is me.' "The river will now be the first in … Continue reading
Rights of Nature | Mumta Ito | TEDxFindhorn
Mumta Ito's central theme is that by enshrining Rights of Nature in law, we protect the environment that we all need for our very existence. In her passionate talk she points out that although Humans have the Right to Life, Nature which provides all the materials for our lives has no such Rights. Mumta Ito is the founder of the International Centre for Wholistic Law and Rights of Nature Europe, which aim to realign the application and methodology of law with the universal laws that govern all … Watch video
Can a national park be a person? New Zealand says yes | Guardian US
New legislation calls for nature to be protected as comprehensively as humans are. Watch video
Cycles of Life, Nature and Law: Rights of Nature
New Story Summiteer, Tiffany Stephens, shares about an inspiring project that emerged from the New Story Summit: Sacred Sites, initiated in conjunction with the European Citizens Initiative for the Rights of Nature. A sacred ceremony is planned for COP21 in Paris in December and an international petition is in the pipeline with Avaaz to bring awareness to the need for the Rights of Nature to be recognised. Tiffany says, "This is the perfect marriage of the spiritual, nature and law." Read the … Continue reading