Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

Should trees have the same rights as you and me? According to the  French National Assembly in Paris last Friday they do. They adopted the “Declaration of tree rights” which says  “A tree is a living organism whose average lifespan is far longer than that of a human being. It should be respected throughout its life and have the right to develop and to reproduce freely, from its birth to its natural death, whether it be a town tree or a country tree. A tree should be considered as a subject of law, including when laws regarding human property are involved.” We might laugh at such ideas but treating trees the same as people is to diminish our own humanity. Trees aren't the same as people and they don't have rights because they're not made in the image of God as we are.