Pluto Press Forest Fights Back: A Global Movement for the Rights of Nature

Can nature be given rights? As the world grapples with the escalating climate crisis, ecosystems are collapsing, and the planet’s future hangs in the balance. Our legal systems have treated nature for centuries as something to be owned and exploited, but a bold new movement is challenging this paradigm. In The Forest Fights Back, Jessica den Outer explores a groundbreaking global movement—Rights of Nature—taking on the legal system to recognize the rights of rivers, forests, and mountains to exist, flourish, and sustain their ecological balance. From the fight for the Whanganui River in New Zealand to the battle for Spain’s Mar Menor lagoon, den Outer highlights the campaigns led by grassroots communities, telling stories of determination and legal ingenuity. This movement goes beyond law. It represents a cultural shift that could reshape how we live, think, coexist, and advocate for nature. Autorid: Jessica den Outer