The Union has outlined a quasi-ecological vision for “living well, within the planet’s ecological limits” in 2050. To date, there is little evidence to suggest that the Union is paving the way for realising said vision. This article introduces the ecological legal approach and the rights of nature as a manifestation of ecological law. Thereafter, it reflects on the ecological (il)literacy of the Union’s approach to the sustainability crisis. Based on a civil society proposal for a Draft EU Directive on the Rights of Nature, the article offers an initial assessment of whether the rights of nature “speak to” any of the ecological shortcomings identified, and whether it might impute (elements of) ecological literacy into the Union’s governance approach.