Corporations Have Rights. Why Not Rivers?

September 26, 2017 NYT article by Julie Turkewitz:

Does a river — or a plant, or a forest — have rights?

If a corporation has rights, the authors argue, so, too, should an ancient waterway that has sustained human life for as long as it has existed in the Western United States. The lawsuit claims the state violated the river’s right to flourish by polluting and draining it and threatening endangered species. The claim cites several nations whose courts or governments have recognized some rights for natural entities.