Rights of Nature Laws Are Coming Up Against Legal Systems Designed for Destruction

Inside Climate News · By Katie Surma · last updated July 2, 2026 – 1:05 AM

Landmark court rulings in Colombia and Bangladesh gave rivers a voice, but a new report says deep-seated issues are blocking transformational change.

By Katie Surma

Years after landmark court rulings in Colombia and Bangladesh recognized rivers as legal persons, the waterways remain polluted and under threat—an outcome a new study attributes in part to a systemic issue: Legal systems are still overwhelmingly designed to treat nature as an object for humans to use and profit from.

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