First Whanganui, Now Paris: Calls for Legal Rights to Protect River Seine
- Midweek, the municipal government of Paris approved a proposal urging national lawmakers to enact legislation that would grant the Seine River legal personhood for its protection.
- This move follows a citizens' convention held between March and May where 50 randomly chosen participants proposed giving the Seine fundamental rights.
- Authorities will open three locations along the Seine for public swimming starting July 5, honoring an important commitment made as part of the Paris Olympics legacy.
- The Seine is a 777-kilometre river flowing through Paris, now home to around 40 species of fish after $1.5 billion was spent cleaning it ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
- Granting legal personhood aims to better defend the Seine’s fragile ecosystem, which remains threatened by pollution, rising temperatures, and pesticides.
21 Articles
21 Articles
If Rivers Had Rights
I deas move in space and time. They swim like fish. They drift like pollen. They migrate like birds. Sometimes their movement carries them right around the world, and they find new niches in which to flourish. One day in October 1971, a young academic called Christopher Stone was giving a seminar on property law at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. It had been an intense class; the students were tired and distracted. Pens wer…
The Paris city authorities based their initiative on the conclusions of a convention of city residents on the future of the Seine between March and May.
Authorities in Paris want to grant the Seine River legal personality. The move is aimed at defending the world-famous river in potential legal proceedings and more effectively protecting its delicate ecosystem.
Paris seeks personhood status for world-famous River Seine
PARIS, France — French authorities want to give legal rights to the River Seine to better defend the world-famous waterway in court and protect its fragile ecosystem, part of a global movement to grant legal personhood to nature. In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, the Paris City Council called on parliament to pass a law granting the Seine legal personhood to enable “an independent guardian authority to defend its rights in court”. “The Seine…
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