UDTR — Radar mondial des droits de la Nature

Is Water Simply a Flow? Exploring an Alternative Mindset for Recognizing Water As a Legal Person

Identification

Clé publique

openalex:w3020067165

Auteurs

Alexandre Lillo

Année déclarée

2018

Langue déclarée

en

Type source

preprint

Première détection

2026-11-09T19:04:47.914068+00:00

Dernière observation des métadonnées

2026-11-09T19:04:47.914068+00:00

Dernière vérification HTTP

Non effectuée

Institutions déclarées par la source

University of Ottawa

Pays d’affiliation déclarés

CA

Résumé documentaire — langue originale

“Water is a flow that transcends the human-nature binary” (Cohen, 2015), and therefore should be considered accordingly. Our modern societies must deal with severe water issues on a daily basis. These contemporary problematics, although acknowledged through the work of scientists, remain a “headache” for human and social sciences. Indeed, the instruments and mechanisms provided by water law often lack effectiveness. However, in a recent past, judges from India and Colombia, as well as a legislation in New Zealand recognized rivers as a legal person. Moreover, a recent lawsuit (September 2017) was filed in the U.S., asking the District Court in Denver to recognize the Colorado River as a legal person. These judicial innovations constitute an alternative avenue to (re)think the relationship between Humans and Nature, as well as an original tool to protect and preserve our environment. Why don’t we broaden this emerging dialogue by exploring the potential applicability of the legal personality status to water as an entity? More precisely, the following questions could be discussed: (1) Why can water be conceived as a person? (2) Is the concept of legal personality truly extendable to water? And consequently, to what extent can water be considered as a legal person? In order to answer these interrogations, it is firstly essential to describe the theoretical and philosophical grounds that support the idea of thinking of water as a (legal) person. This exercise of “reconceptualization”, based on environmental ethics, examine interactions between human beings and water, along with how they influence the understanding we have of this resource. Secondly, so as to extend this status to water, can we deduct general criteria, from both Common and Civil Law, to define the concept of legal personality? By combining a philosophical and legal approach, we could ultimately aim to explore why water can be treated as a legal person and define under what circumstances this can happen.

Identifiants

OPENALEX

W3020067165

Repères documentaires

Famille documentaire

Working paper

Types déclarés par les sources

preprint

Entités naturelles mentionnées

Fleuve / rivière

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Sources

OpenAlex · Document 1

• Document · https://openalex.org/W3020067165

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