Rights of Nature, Intercultural Respect, and Climate Change

Steel, D., Vásquez-Fernández, A., Cripps, R., Crookall, B., DesRoches, C., & Mintz-Woo, K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9216-9561 (2026). Rights of Nature, Intercultural Respect, and Climate Change. The Monist 109 (2) 204-219. 10.1093/monist/onag006.

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Abstract

From a traditional environmental ethics perspective, rights of nature are linked to debates about nonanthropocentrism because they give legal force to the idea that nature has intrinsic moral value. However, we claim that the emergence of Indigenous-led rights of nature initiatives shows that intercultural respect is also an important aspect of this issue. Supported by an example involving an Indigenous nation in Peru, we explain how intercultural respect encourages greater engagement between Western and Indigenous philosophies. On this basis, we advance an argument that a river can be a living being with interests of its own. We also explain how intercultural respect is helpful for understanding the relationship between rights of nature and climate change. In general, our contention is that rights of nature should be understood in the context of efforts to counteract the disrespect of marginalized groups commonly found in environmental injustices.

Item Type:	Article
Research Programs:	Population and Just Societies (POPJUS) Population and Just Societies (POPJUS) > Equity and Justice (EQU)
Depositing User:	Luke Kirwan
Date Deposited:	07 Apr 2026 11:25
Last Modified:	07 Apr 2026 11:25
URI:	https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/21441

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