Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A once-radical question is moving into the mainstream: Should nature itself have rights? A former National Park Service director and a legal scholar explore the growing rights-of-nature movement and whether rivers, forests and ecosystems should be granted legal standing similar to corporations — or even people. From Indigenous stewardship traditions to constitutional law, this conversation examines unorthodox approaches to protecting the natural world.
The Aspen Ideas Festival is the Aspen Institute’s signature summer public event. From June 25-July 1, 2026 business and civic leaders, innovators and artists, fellows, scholars, and attendees from around the world gathered in the Rocky Mountains. Engaging discussions unified by the Festival’s theme “Declarations of Independence” explore the issues of today, challenge perceptions of the past, and shape our shared future. #AspenIdeas
For more information about the Aspen Ideas Festival, visit https://www.aspenideas.org.
A once-radical question is moving into the mainstream: Should nature itself have rights? A former National Park Service director and a legal scholar explore the growing rights-of-nature movement and whether rivers, forests and ecosystems should be granted legal standing similar to corporations — or even people. From Indigenous stewardship traditions to constitutional law, this conversation examines unorthodox approaches to protecting the natural world.
The Aspen Ideas Festival is the Aspen Institute’s signature summer public event. From June 25-July 1, 2026 business and civic leaders, innovators and artists, fellows, scholars, and attendees from around the world gathered in the Rocky Mountains. Engaging discussions unified by the Festival’s theme “Declarations of Independence” explore the issues of today, challenge perceptions of the past, and shape our shared future. #AspenIdeas
For more information about the Aspen Ideas Festival, visit https://www.aspenideas.org.
