Ecuador’s forest win sets global precedent for nature’s legal rights

The Los Cedros forest in Ecuador’s Andes has become a global symbol of how granting nature legal rights can protect biodiversity from industrial threats like mining.

Peter Yeung reports for Yes!

In short:

The Los Cedros forest, one of the world’s most biodiverse places, was saved from mining by a landmark court ruling that recognized nature’s legal rights.
The ruling builds on Ecuador’s 2008 constitution, which grants nature rights, setting a precedent for protecting ecosystems worldwide.
Challenges remain in implementing these protections, with concerns about illegal activities and nearby industrial threats.

Key quote:

“There was no case before this, there was no precedent. It was a case of science winning over extractive industries.”

— Josef DeCoux, conservationist

Why this matters:

This ruling is part of a global movement to give legal rights to nature, offering new tools to protect ecosystems essential to human health and survival, especially in the face of biodiversity loss and climate change. Read more: Could the Ohio River have rights? A movement to grant rights to the environment tests the power of local control.

www.yesmagazine.org

Ecuador’s forest win sets global precedent for nature’s legal rights

Inside the campaign to discredit a key climate science report

Mark Carney adviser says AI data centres ‘provide markets’ for gas

The winter’s snow drought is now a full-blown water crisis

‘Every day it’s more barriers’: how the US is shutting out climate refugees

Scientists have made jet fuel from plastic waste

Mangroves comeback is a rare climate success story

COP31 leaders unveil global targets, with spotlight on electrification

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.