Ms Mari Margil:

In addition to the 100-plus countries that have established human environmental rights, a growing number have in their constitutions the human right to a healthy environment as well as the rights of the environment itself. Ecuador has married the human right to a healthy environment with the rights of the environment within its constitution, determining that they are not only complementary, but also necessary if both are to be guaranteed and have their standards raised. Other countries have done the same, constitutionalising the human right to a healthy environment and the rights of the environment in law. These include Panama, Mexico, Spain, Bolivia and Colombia. We are seeing more understanding of how protecting the rights of the environment is necessary for protecting the human right to a healthy environment, given how we depend on a healthy environment.