<
https://hakaimagazine.com/news/for-the-first-time-part-of-the-ocean-has-been-granted-legal-personhood/>
"The Brazilian city of Linhares has legally recognized its waves as living
beings, marking the first known time part of the ocean has been granted legal
personhood.
In early August 2024, the coastal municipality passed a new law that gives the
waves at the mouth of the Doce River, which runs to Brazil’s Atlantic coast,
the intrinsic right to existence, regeneration, and restoration. This means the
waves should continue to form naturally and their water must be clean.
The new law requires the city to protect the physical shape of the river, the
ecological cycles that make the waves unique, and the water’s finely balanced
chemical makeup through public policies and funding. It also codifies respect
for the waves’ cultural and economic role in the community, explains Vanessa
Hasson, an environmental lawyer and executive director of the Brazilian NGO
Mapas, which advocates for the country’s nascent rights-of-nature movement.
Linhares has also appointed guardians to watch over the waves and act as their
representatives in public decision-making. City officials selected Hauley Silva
Valim, a surfer and cofounder of the Doce River Alliance, and two others with
special relationships with the waves: a representative from the local
Indigenous community and a member of the city council’s environment committee."
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/living-beings/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
