Scottish Government actions to address the ‘prohibitive expense’ of taking environmental cases to court have been branded ‘truly woeful’ by campaigners ...
New briefing: Investigation reveals why legal expenses regime needs reform
In October 2021, ERCS submitted a FOI request as part of an investigation into the impact of Protective Expenses Orders. The information disclosed reveals how the current system continues to act as a barrier to justice ...
Scottish Ministers pressed for details over pledge to fix climate law breach – press release
Scottish Ministers are currently refusing to produce the full climate impact assessment of the carbon emissions expected to be generated by their £26bn Infrastructure Investment Plan – crucial to their pledge to reach net zero by 2045. The Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) and Good Law Project have now warned the Scottish Government that court proceedings could be on the cards if these figures are not revealed to the public. Following legal pressure from ERCS and Good Law Project, last month the Scottish Government belatedly accepted that its failure to publish an assessment of the climate impact of its Infrastructure Investment Plan is in breach of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. The Scottish Government has now pledged to undertake “urgent work” to remedy this. It says it will publish its current emissions reduction targets and an assessment of whether the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment Plan will make it more or less likely these targets will be met. But Scottish Ministers are so far refusing to provide a transparent climate assessment to back up their claims. Without quantifying emissions or showing their calculations, it is impossible to verify whether or not the Infrastructure Investment Plan is fully compatible with emissions reduction targets. In their latest letter to the Government, ERCS and Good Law Project argue that Ministers must publish this information to comply with their legal duties. The letter warns that without Ministers’ co-operation on this matter, the prospect of court proceedings could be on the table. Dr …
October e-bulletin
Check out our October e-bulletin. Read our latest news, blogs and resources including our review of our first Environmental Rights Summit ...
Progress on human rights, backsliding on justice, and our first climate litigation case: looking back on a whirlwind summer
With consultations on environmental governance and the Human Rights Bill, as well as our first climate litigation case, life has been busy at ERCS. What are the key takeaways? ...
New briefing condemns the Environmental Governance review as an unlawful failure
A new ERCS briefing responds to the Scottish Government's Environmental Governance Review, highlighting our deep disappointment with the poor quality of the Report ...
ERCS is recruiting an Operations & Development Manager and Policy & Comms Officer – apply now!
ERCS is growing and we are looking for an Operations & Development Manager and a Policy & Communications Officer to join our team ...
ERCS is recruiting a Policy & Communications Officer
ERCS is recruiting a Policy & Communications Officer. We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated person to join our advocacy team and secure concrete progress on environmental rights in Scotland ...
Header image: 'Rainbow joy, Gadloch' by Emma Donaldson.
