Ain't this grand?! Hopefully it passes and starts a trend, eh? I mean if we're gonna give a flippin corporation the same rights as a person I don't see why we shouldn't apply at least the same level of protection to the environment.
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original-climateandcapitalism

Ecuadorian Assembly Approves Constitutional Rights for Nature
July 10, 2008

On July 7, the 130-member Ecuador Constitutional Assembly, elected countrywide to rewrite the country’s Constitution, voted to approve articles that recognize rights for nature and ecosystems.

“If adopted in the final constitution by the people, Ecuador would become the first country in the world to codify a new system of environmental protection based on rights,” says Thomas Linzey, Executive Director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund.

The following clauses will be included in the constitution that will be submitted to a countrywide vote, to be held 45 days after Assembly finishes its work later this month.

Chapter: Rights for Nature

Art. 1. Nature or Pachamama, where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution.

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complete article here