Exploring Environmental Law, Activism, and the Rights of Nature

Today a new Nature’s Rights Bill was launched at the House of Lords by the Green party peer Natalie Bennett. For decades, lawyers, campaigners, and communities have worked to bring the idea of rights for Nature and legal personhood for Nature into the public imagination.

We wanted to share some of the recent work we have been doing at Lawyers for Nature, and some news, updates and what to look out for in the coming months.

A year ago, in collaboration with Frieda Gormley and Javvy M Royle from House of Hackney, we launched the We Are Nature campaign, a grassroots movement to persuade dictionaries to update English-language dictionary definitions of the word Nature to include humans.

Lawyers for Nature stands in firm opposition to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025 in its current form. While we acknowledge the government's stated aim to streamline development and enhance environmental outcomes, the Bill's current provisions risk undermining existing environmental protections, democratic processes, and the fundamental rights of nature itself.

We wanted to share some positive news from the world of Rights of Nature. It’s these moments that remind us why we’re reimagining the law for Nature—ensuring it has the opportunity to thrive and flourish, just as it should.

Lawyers for Nature are excited to be attending the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16) in the city of Cali in Colombia between 21 October–1 November 2024. ‍

We are excited to update you about our event on Monday at the Phoenix Garden next week on Monday 23rd September. We have planned an evening of talks and discussion to connect nature, law and practice for us all. There will also be some delicious nourishing vegan food. There are still some tickets available so if you’d like to join us, we’d love to have you. To get tickets, click here.

Last week, LFN founder Paul Powlesland was called to serve on a jury. For his oath, he decided to swear on what was most sacred to him: nature, via the River Roding, represented in the courtroom by a water sample in a small bottle.

Are you a lawyer concerned about the state of nature and the meta-crisis we face? Are you interested in using the law as a powerful tool to protect and restore nature? Do you want to understand how you can use your skill set to make a difference?