Utah's Great Salt Lake contributes nearly $2 billion to the state's economy every year, but some fear its future could be dire after local lawmakers pushed back against a movement that could have assisted preservation efforts.
What happened?
In January, a bill was introduced that sought to deny "legal personhood" to animals, plants, water, land, and other members of natural ecosystems, as detailed by Inside Climate News.
The H.B. 249 legislation, which was sponsored by Rep. Walt Brooks (R-St. George), was signed by Gov. Spencer Cox on March 20, and it's in the lieutenant governor's office for filing. It is slated to go into effect May 1.
While the idea of granting personhood to nature may seem unusual, Inside Climate News explained that the right is often granted to non-human entities. In Utah, a person is defined as "an individual, corporation, partnership, organization, association, trust, governmental agency, or any other legal entity."
Why is this concerning?
While it's important for individuals to engage respectfully with nature, government legislation has a systemic impact on the health of our planet.
For example, the U.S. National Park Service, which was established in 1916, protects more than 84 million acres of land, preserving natural beauty for future generations, historic memory, and the lives of numerous plants and wildlife.
The only other states to have laws banning the rights of nature are Florida, Idaho, and Ohio, according to Inside Climate News.
"If nature is a 'person' under the law, that does not mean it has all the same rights as humans," Earth Law Center executive director Grant Wilson explained to the outlet. "I think a right to exist, a right to be healthy, and a right to representation, such as through legal guardians, are three of the most important baseline rights that should be held by nature."
"We should be promoting innovation to give nature a voice, not stifling it," he added.
Some also criticized the exclusion of Indigenous beliefs in the bill, as Utah is home to eight tribal nations.
"They approach these things from a political perspective, not a spiritual perspective that is different from their own," Navajo Nation spokesperson George Hardeen told the outlet, which noted that Hardeen did not want to comment specifically on H.B. 249 because he hadn't spoken with the bill's sponsors. "This continues to happen to tribes because of a perpetual lack of understanding that other people may not look at the world the way you do."
What can be done about this?
While there's concern over how the bill could hinder future preservation efforts of the Great Salt Lake and other natural areas, a state website suggests that preservation of the lake is a priority, with recreation opportunities, more than 7,000 jobs, and environmental health at stake.
Chatting with loved ones can help raise awareness about policies and causes that matter to you, while supporting pro-climate candidates in state and federal elections is another way to have input on issues related to the health of our world.
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