The rights of nature as a fourth-generation human right

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51798/sijis.v6i3.1070

Keywords:

environmental legislation, conservation, fauna, flora, nature, Pachamama

Abstract

Global warming of the planet, climate change, the extermination of species and the ozone layer, extractivist projects, the indiscriminate felling of forests, environmental pollution and the essential elements for life, the rights of being non-humans, etc., make it necessary to speak of The rights of nature as fourth-generation human rights that the countries of the world and international organizations must recognize so that life can continue to develop on Earth. The objective of the manuscript is to analyze the rights that have been guaranteed internationally and that protect the elements of the environment that are part of nature. In the same way, the states that have declared Pachamama as a subject of rights are studied; the inductive, analytical, and descriptive methods are used. It is an exploratory investigation of a dogmatic, historical, logical, and illustrative type of non-experimental design. The population comprises 120 legal professionals from Spain, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, to whom a questionnaire of 7 closed questions was applied. The results indicate that the rights of nature differ from those of the environment that international organizations have analyzed. In this sense, it is concluded that the rights of Mother Earth are fundamental rights that guarantee human and non-human life. Therefore, natural rights should be recognized as human rights by the United Nations.

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Published

2025-07-29

How to Cite

Herrera Acosta, C. E., Amán Cauja, J. A., Machado Ashqui, A. L., & Collaguazo Fiallo, L. V. (2025). The rights of nature as a fourth-generation human right. Sapienza: International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 6(3), e25047. https://doi.org/10.51798/sijis.v6i3.1070

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Section

Economic & Social Sciences - Original Articles