What happened. Chile and Colombia requested the opinion on 9 January 2023. The Court received 263 written briefs, held hearings in Bridgetown, Brasília and Manaus in 2024, and adopted the opinion on 29 May 2025. It addresses states' obligations in the climate emergency.
The rights-of-nature passage. The Court says recognising Nature as a subject of rights 'does not introduce content that is alien' to the inter-American corpus iuris, and notes a growing tendency in legislation and case law to do so, citing examples including Canada, Ecuador and subnational entities.
Why it matters. It is among the most prominent international judicial statements on rights of nature. An advisory opinion interprets the American Convention at states' request; it is not a judgment in a contentious case.
What to watch. Whether domestic courts and legislatures in the region cite the opinion when deciding rights-of-nature questions.