Earth Law Center Blog
Rights for the Saint Lawrence River
ELC speaks with the leaders of Centre Juridique International des Droits de la Nature about their initiative seeking rights recognition for the St. Lawrence River.
Daylighting La Bievre River in Paris, France
ELC is working with Notres Affaires a Tous to uncover and restore La Bievre River in France, as well as seek rights recognition for this urban river.
Rights for the Boulder Creek Watershed
Earth Law Center and other local partners are working to establish rights of nature for the Boulder Creek Watershed.
Earth Law for the Indus River
Earth Law Center and Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum seek legal rights based on Earth Law principles for the Pakistani Indus River.
Rights for the Anchicayá River in Colombia
ELC is working with International Rivers and Réseau International des Droits Humains (RIDH) on a case involving environmental damages from a dam on the Anchicayá River in Colombia.
River Protection: Crucial in an Age of Dwindling Snowpack
Snowpack systems are changing with the global climate. Kristen Cowell discusses the impacts of dwindling snowpack on rivers and how an Earth Law approach can help protect them.
ELC to Attend Puebla’s Living Rivers Forum and Festival
Earth Law Center is participating in the Ríos Vivos Foro y Festival (Living Rivers Forum and Festival) in Puebla, Mexico. Participants will consider new approaches to river restoration and celebrate local waterways like the Atoyac River.
Rights for the River Ethiope, Nigeria
It is a special place of worship due to its origination at the base of a cottonwood tree; an environmental irony where human interest and appreciation endangers what it seeks to appreciate.
The Amazon River Needs Rights Recognition Now
The Amazon River is the world’s largest in water volume, and 2nd only to the Nile in surface water. It is the largest river basin, running through Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Bolivia and Brazil.
How Can Earth Law Save Florida?
Florida has lost millions of acres of forest and wetlands to development. Dozens of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, coral and other creatures crowd the state’s list of endangered species.
Evolving California’s Water Governance
Vast over-allocation of water, with very little (or sometimes none) left for waterways themselves, exceeds California’s actual freshwater supply by about fivefold.
Dams + Climate Change = Bad News
Dams disrupt a waterway's ability to support vital ecosystems. They increase evaporation, and make coastlines vulnerable to storm surges and rising sea levels.
Rights of Nature for the Great Lakes
Over 30 million people rely upon the water from the Great Lakes, which touch eight states, and the Canadian province of Ontario.
Mexico on the Vanguard for Rights of Nature
Three rivers in Mexico, the Magdalena, Atoyac and San Pedro Mezquital, face significant threats including pollution and altered flows. A proposed dam would seriously damage the San Pedro Mezquital.
Dam Removal to Restore Snake River to Health
The Nez Perce tribe has been calling for the removal of four dams on the Lower Snake River.
Do Dams Violate a River’s Right to Flow?
Once a symbol of ingenuity and engineering prowess, the latest research shows that dams destroy river ecosystems and adversely affect human health and well-being.
Building Momentum: Earth Law Center’s Universal Declaration of River Rights
Laws safeguarding the environment have not kept apace with rapidly expanding human activity. Earth has lost more than half its trees since humans first learned to wield an axe. According to the WWF, roughly one-quarter of coral reefs worldwide are considered damaged beyond repair, with another two-thirds under serious threat. The good news is that a solution has appeared, in the form of Earth Law.
How Rights of Nature Will Help Restore Mexico City’s Rivers
Securing rights for nature would mean that rivers have a right to clean water and adequate flows, and ecosystems have a right to integral health free from pollution.
The Importance of the Atrato River in Colombia Gaining Legal Rights
Guest Blogger Laura Villa gives us the scoop on the Atrato River in Colombia gaining legal rights.