Inside Climate News: Indian Court Rules That Nature Has Legal Status on Par With Humans—and That Humans Are Required to Protect It

The Rights of Nature in India—A Growing Movement

Katie Surma authored the latest article on the recent developments in the Madras High Court, located in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu, where the court recognized “Mother Nature” as possessing legal rights.

The judge invoked the power of the government to act as a guardian for those who cannot care for themselves, writing: “Mother Nature” has the same legal status as a human being, which includes “all corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person” - adding that the government has a duty to protect Nature. Several India state high courts have issued decisions recognizing that glaciers, rivers, animals, and Mother Earth have legal personhood status.

Outcomes like this are the first few steps towards a legal and cultural reshaping where the rights of nature are being acknowledged and protected. As CDER’s Mari Margil states in the article:

“We believe that to protect the rights of nature, we need a new system for nature that moves beyond legal personhood, to “legal naturehood” in which the rights of nature are protected and properly interpreted, guaranteed and upheld.”

To read more of the article, please click here.