“A charter itself cannot reverse decades of degradation, but it can confront the question asked before each consultation, planning application and pollution incident: is this decision compatible with the ecosystem’s right to exist, recover, and be heard?”
Rights of Nature is a global movement with origins that date back to 1972 and has gained steady support in the UK. Laura Haytor asks whether our rivers, trees and forests should be granted rights and if so, how could they be applied in a UK context.