Our vision is of a Scotland where every person’s right to a healthy environment is respected, protected and fulfilled
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ERCS June newsletter
Read our June newsletter on how we can challenge the bullies – with resources on how we can use lobbying laws, an update on our latest Aarhus Convention complaint and a new Voices for Justice …
Everyone’s Environment: Recommendations for more inclusive environmental policy in Scotland
Last September, we were commissioned by NPC’s Everyone’s Environment project to co-produce recommendations for making environmental policy more inclusive. This blog shares the project’s resources …
Complaint about the Scottish Civil Justice Council’s breach of the Aarhus Convention passes first hurdle
The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee has rejected an attempt by the UK Government to have ERCS’s complaint about the Scottish Civil Justice Council declared inadmissible …
Bathing waters designation – murkier than ever?
Bathing water designation came to our attention when we were contacted by the River Almond Action Group (RAAG). In this blog, our Assistant Legal Officer Preslava Todorova analyses how, over two years after our representation to Environmental Standards Scotland, bathing water designation remains murkier than ever …
How to strengthen the regulation of lobbying in Scotland
The regulation of lobbying in Scotland rests on a legislative regime which came into force nearly a decade ago. This blog discusses some of the ways of strengthening existing lobbying laws, and what could be added to further meaningful transparency …
Race & the Right to a Healthy Environment: Refugees’ and asylum seekers’ lived experiences of access to greenspaces and healthy food
In April 2025, Scottish Refugee Council invited ERCS to talk to the Peer Integration Group about their lived experiences of accessing greenspaces and healthy food. 29 refugees and asylum seekers attended the session. Read what they had to say …
Our aim
To support individuals and communities to use their environmental rights to protect the environment, tackle climate change, and improve local biodiversity and greenspaces for health and wellbeing.
We do this by:
- awareness-raising to increase confidence in using our environmental rights – see our resources
- advice to increase access to justice and holding public authorities and polluters to account
- advocacy in policy and law reform to improve environmental law – see our work
- public interest litigation to tackle ongoing environmental problems.
ERCS understands environmental law as including law relating to land-use planning, climate change, pollution control, environmental health, the conservation of biodiversity, and any other field (e.g. cultural heritage, transport and energy) to the extent that it impacts on the natural environment and/or the right to live in a healthy environment.
