Can Rights of Nature Contribute to Enhanced Environmental Protection in Ireland?

Abstract

Several sectors of Irish society have put forward rights of nature as a way to further enhance environmental protection in the country and help curb environmental degradation. In light of rights of nature developments in other jurisdictions, this piece presents rights of nature in their social, economic, and legal context, and summarises their reception by legal scholars. This portrayal will provide a basis for analysing the two main Irish rights of nature legal propositions and assess, albeit in preliminary fashion, whether these initiatives – if enacted – would further enhance environmental protection in Ireland.