>In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has solidified the concept of corporate personhood. Following rulings in such cases as Hobby Lobby and Citizens United, U.S. law has established that companies are, like people, entitled to certain rights and protections.<p>Well, yes. And the reason is corporations <i>are</i> people who've pooled their resources for a business venture. I don't lose my right to free speech just because I'm part of a group. Otherwise we would have laws curtailing the speech of unions, interest groups like the Sierra Club, and even political parties.<p>The author assumes the courts have gifted rights to corporations and can therefor gift the same rights to nature, but that's not what's going on. In <i>Citizens United</i> and <i>Hobby Lobby</i> the court is simply recognizing the existing rights of the members who make up the corporation. "Nature" has never had rights, and there isn't any legal or philosophical framework to support such a concept.