Nature, in the form of bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, springs, aquifers, glaciers, or the ocean herself, has a right to a healthy life, just as humans do. What is remarkable about the "rights of nature" concept is that there is a need to express support for the very ecosystems that sustain "humankind" along with "otherkind". How could it be any other way? But in our modern, post-"Enlightenment" world, the basic right of our earth to continue in a healthy state, seems to require special attention and even persuasion.
Rights or Values?
From the perspective of Western intellectual and scientific thought, the concept that rivers have rights would be categorized as a cultural value, rather than a description of the way things really are. In Western traditions, rivers and other bodies of water do not quality as sacred, with the exception of particular places that have been specially designated as such, for example the spring at Lourdes where a miracle is said to have taken place, thus sanctifying the spring. The assumption that rivers are secular unless proven otherwise is reversed by most, and perhaps all, Indigenous traditions where the earth, including land, water, and biological life, is viewed as generally sacred, and within this category, some particular places are considered especially sacred.
The practical reality of respecting Nature's rights is complicated by cases of Indigenous communities taking decisions that clearly impinge on the sustainability of ecosystems, and the inclusion within Western philosophical and religious institutions of genuinely Animistic perspectives. Indigenous perspectives on water and the rights of nature are also explored in the webpages of the Indigenous Water Initiative. In this section our focus is on how Westernized science, philosophy, and the so-called "major" religions address the rights of rivers and other water bodies.
Resources
UNESCO Water and Ethics Series (2004)
- Water and Ecology, by Mike Acreman
Scientific Perspectives on the Rights of Rivers
- Instream Flow Council
- Environmental Flow Network
Philosophical Perspectives: Environmental Ethics
- Aldo Leopold's essay "The Land Ethic", written in 1949 as the epilogue to his book, Sand County Almanac.
- Philosophy of Water Project at the University of North Texas
- Center for Environmental Philosophy at the Univ. of North Texas
Religious Perspectives
- Ecumenical Water Network (World Council of Churches)