International Steps toward Rights of Nature

In 1982, the international community first voiced its collective concern over the unimpeded despoliation of Nature. The General Assembly passed the United Nations World Charter for Nature that year. ¹ It was the very first international document setting forth human responsibilities toward Nature. Though strictly aspirational, its moral and ethical impact was immense, and set the tone for future international activity to protect Nature from excessive exploitation through various types of human-oriented “developments.”