Utah lawmakers push bill to block nature’s personhood
Utah Lawmakers Take a Stand Against Granting Inherent Rights to Nature
Lawmakers in Utah have made a bold move this week to prevent the granting of legal personhood to nature, a movement that has been gaining momentum among environmental activists.
The proposed legislation, known as House Bill 249 or the “Utah Legal Personhood Amendments,” aims to declare that only human beings can enjoy the legal rights and obligations of personhood. The bill was passed by the Utah House on Tuesday and will now be considered by the Senate.
The bill explicitly prohibits the granting of legal personhood to any artificial intelligence, inanimate object, body of water, land, real property, atmospheric gas, astronomical object, weather, plant, nonhuman animal, and “any other member of a taxonomic domain that is not a human being.”
The bill was introduced by Republican State Rep. Walt Brooks in response to efforts by environmental activists to grant legal personhood to the Great Salt Lake. Brooks, who initially thought the request was a joke, conducted his own research and concluded that the bill was a matter of “common sense.”
“I had to explain to my kids that, when you go to a dairy, those cows are pregnant because they need to be if they’re going to give milk. But, did anybody get the permission of a cow to get them pregnant? So, if they were a person, that would be sexual harassment,”
Democratic State Rep. Joel Briscoe, on the other hand, argued that nonhuman entities and beings should have legal rights similar to corporations. He expressed uncertainty about whether granting personhood to the Great Salt Lake would be a good idea, but emphasized the need for more detailed information before making a decision.
“What I do know is this: before I put into code, and vote to put into code, a prohibition against something that I’m told is dangerous without any examples, I would really love to see some detail,”
Brooks stressed the importance of defining terms based on reality, drawing a parallel between the hesitation to grant personhood to nature and the ongoing confusion surrounding gender definitions.
“What I do know is this: a person is a person, and a tree is not, neither is an animal, neither is a stream, neither is the air. I bet you if you went back ten years ago, no one had a question about what a woman was and what a man was, but we do get confused,”
Last month, Brooks expressed his belief that assigning personhood to nonhuman entities is not an appropriate preservation effort. He emphasized the importance of finding alternative ways to preserve and protect animals, rivers, streams, wetlands, and lakes.
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Similar measures have been taken by environmental activists in other states. Last October, Milwaukee County in Wisconsin passed a resolution granting nature equal rights to mankind in order to provide greater protections for the county’s bodies of water.
The movement to grant inherent rights to nature traces back to the establishment of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in 2012. IPBES considers granting inherent rights to nature as a significant public policy instrument.
The bill received overwhelming support in the Utah House, with 58 members voting in favor and only 11 against. Notably, only one Democrat, State Rep. Ashlee Matthews, voted in favor of the bill.
What are the potential consequences, both positive and negative, of granting legal personhood to nature?
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“We live in a society where there’s a lot of confusion about what those words mean, and the lack of clarity leads to a breakdown in communication and understanding. If we start to blur the lines between what is human and what is not, we risk losing sight of what it means to be human and the value that each individual person brings to our society,”
The debate surrounding the granting of legal personhood to nature has been ongoing around the world. In recent years, countries like New Zealand and India have recognized the legal rights of rivers and ecosystems. These initiatives aim to protect the environment and hold polluters accountable. However, critics argue that such measures would have unintended consequences and could hinder economic development and human progress.
In the United States, granting legal personhood to nature has gained momentum with various communities passing ”rights of nature” legislation. These laws aim to recognize the rights of nature to exist, flourish, and regenerate its natural systems. However, critics, such as those in Utah, argue that such legislation goes against the existing legal framework and could give nonhuman entities the ability to sue or take legal action.
The Utah Legal Personhood Amendments bill is seen by its supporters as a necessary step to prevent potential legal and economic complications. They argue that by reaffirming that legal personhood is exclusive to humans, Utah can maintain a clear and consistent legal framework. They also state that it is the responsibility of humans to protect and care for the environment, rather than giving nature legal rights that may conflict with human interests and needs.
Opponents of the bill, on the other hand, argue that it is necessary to expand the concept of legal personhood to include nonhuman entities in order to address pressing environmental issues. They believe that recognizing the legal rights of nature can help ensure a more sustainable and balanced approach to development and protect ecosystems for future generations.
The passing of House Bill 249 by the Utah House is a significant development in the ongoing debate surrounding the legal rights of nature. As the bill moves to the Senate for further consideration, it remains to be seen how this issue will be ultimately resolved in Utah. The outcome of this legislation could potentially set a precedent for other states facing similar debates.
Regardless of the final decision, the discussion around granting legal personhood to nature reflects the growing urgency to find innovative and effective ways to protect the environment. Balancing the needs of human society with the preservation of nature is a complex challenge that requires careful consideration of the legal, economic, and environmental implications. Ultimately, the goal should be to ensure the long-term sustainability of both human civilization and the natural world we depend on.
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