Access to environmental justice

Access to environmental justice is one of the key pillars to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (done at Aarhus on 25 June 1998) (Aarhus Convention). The UK (and the EU) ratified the Convention in February 2005, and became parties to it in May 2005. There are currently 47 parties to the Aarhus Convention.

The three pillars promoting public participation in the Aarhus Convention include:

1. 1

   access to environmental information—see: Environmental information regulation—overview

2. 2

   participation in the environmental decision-making process, and

3. 3

   access to justice in environmental matters—see Practice Note: Aarhus Convention UK

Support for greater public participation, through routes such as access to justice in environmental matters, can be drawn from the recitals to the Aarhus Convention including, for example:

1. •

   the need to protect, preserve and improve the state of the environment and to ensure sustainable and environmentally sound development

2. •

   that adequate