With only a week to go before the next Scottish Parliament election, what commitments have each party made on environmental rights and access to justice? ...
Law reform
Proposed changes to court rules signal major step towards affordable access to justice
ERCS welcomes positive proposals to address the cost of environmental litigation after years of inaction from public authorities ...
Landmark ecocide law moves ahead in Scotland – press release
Today, the creation of a new criminal offence of ecocide was pushed forward as the Scottish Parliament voted to progress the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill to Stage 2 ...
A healthy planet, a fair society: new UN guidance links human rights and the environment
A new General Comment published by the United Nations makes clear that 'a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is an essential precondition for the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.' ...
UN body finds that Scotland fails to guarantee access to environmental justice – press release
The Scottish Government has failed to implement recommendations to guarantee access to justice to uphold environmental rights, according to a new UN report ...
Advocacy Manifesto sets out route map to secure environmental rights
ERCS today launches our new Advocacy Manifesto, setting out a route map of how every person’s right to live in a healthy environment can be respected, protected, and fulfilled ...
Landmark climate change ruling reaffirms States’ obligations to protect the right to a healthy environment
The International Court of Justice has issued a landmark Advisory Opinion on States’ obligations regarding climate change ...
Reforming legal aid to deliver environmental justice
A new ERCS briefing discusses the importance of amending Regulation 15 of the Civil Legal Aid (Scotland) Regulations 2002 to enable public interest environmental litigation and increase access to environmental justice. The briefing summarises evidence supplied by ERCS legal director Ben Christman to the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights, and Civil Justice Committee in November 2024, which highlights how the ‘joint interest test’ specified under Regulation 15 of the Civil Legal Aid Regulations 2002 makes it difficult to obtain legal aid for environmental cases. ERCS recommends that Regulation 15 is amended so that it does not apply to cases falling within the scope of the Aarhus Convention. Read the briefing
