Do Rights of Nature Prevent Environmental Harm?
Dr. Oluwabusayo Wuraola's webinar for the British Society of Criminology's Green Criminology Research Network is now available at the network's Youtube channel.
In recent years, countries such as Ecuador, Colombia, and New Zealand have granted legal rights to rivers, forests, and other ecosystems. This webinar explored whether these Rights of Nature actually help prevent environmental harm or remain largely symbolic. It examined the specific rights being granted such as the rights to exist, to flow, to be restored, and to be represented in court and how these are applied in practice. Drawing on court cases brought on behalf of nature, the session assessed how courts have responded and how these rights have been used effectively to stop pollution, halt destructive projects, and require ecological restoration; or whether they are legal declarations with little practical impact.