This article was posted by the Pachamama Alliance on October 4th, 2019.
Trouble in the Water
For several years, many communities in Florida have encountered toxic cyanobacteria, a result of toxic agribusiness runoff, in their local bodies of water.
Florida residents have reported several adverse effects of cyanobacteria on their communities. The local economy, which largely depends on tourism and clean water for activities like fishing, took a large hit. According to residents, pets were dying and people were getting sick—often needing emergency room care—and the mortality rates of marine wildlife was severe and devastating to local ecosystems.
So, the communities looked to the government to do something about the declining health of their environment.
But, inaction at the state and federal level meant that local communities had to take matters into their own hands. One of the communities looking to advance county-wide laws to protect their rivers is in Lee County, where the Pachamama Alliance Community of Southwest Florida calls home.
The Caloosahatchee River and the Rights of Nature
Concerned residents of Lee County are working to grant the Caloosahatchee River legal rights in order to secure a healthier environment for their community. These Lee County citizens hope to achieve this through a law that would establish the Rights of Nature as well as the locals’ right to a healthy environment. The Rights of Nature recognizes nature’s right to be healthy and to flourish through legal protections.
In order to pass this law, an amendment must be added to the Lee County county charter. This will require about 44,000 signatures to put the initiative on the ballot for citizens to vote. If the vote is successful, the amendment will protect the Caloosahatchee River from any business or government activities that violate its rights.
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