Why Does the Colorado River Need to Sue for Rights?

On September 26, the Colorado River sued the State of Colorado in a first-in-the-nation lawsuit requesting that the United States District Court in Denver recognize the river’s Rights of Nature. Currently, most legal systems treat Nature as “property” allowing and encouraging environmental destruction. By recognising rights to the ecosystem, such as the rights to exist, flourish and evolve, Deep Green Resistance and the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund are urging the American legal system to move to a holistic approach which protects both humans, animals and Nature. Photo credit: Alex Proimos/Flickr/CC-BY-NC-2.0