“The idea of a non-human entity having legal personhood is nothing new; we already grant this to corporations, trusts, charities, joint ventures and nation states. Although referred to as a legal “person,” these legal rights are not the same as human rights, which include civil and political rights. Instead legal rights comprise three elements: legal standing (the right to sue and be sued in court), the right to enter and enforce legal contracts, and the right to own property. However, conferring personhood – even of this limited kind – on a part of non-human nature could prove a game changer.”
