This River Could Sue You.

• Position: LAW

If you're ever in New Zealand, be careful how you treat the Whanganui River--it has the same legal rights you have. A court recently gave the river the status of a living being, a first for a natural resource. It's a victory for the indigenous Maori people, who have long considered the Whanganui a living ancestor. Now, if someone abuses the river, the New Zealand law would treat that person as if he or she harmed a human. Other countries have recently taken similar steps without specifying particular resources: Ecuador's constitution recognized the right of nature to exist in 2008, and Bolivia passed a law in 2011 granting nature equal rights with humans. Environmentalists are applauding the trend as a way...