What does it mean for a river to be ‘alive’?

<p>Renowned natural history writer Robert Macfarlane traveled to Ecuador, India and Quebec, pondering the question of whether rivers are living beings — the premise behind much of the movement to legally recognize the rights of nature. He found that the answer to that question is more complicated and wondrous — and more life-altering and world-changing — than he could have imagined.<em> *This episode originally aired on Sept. 3, 2025.</em></p>