Why is Scotland still in breach of the UN Aarhus Convention’s access to justice requirements? Join us over lunch to find out about the barriers to accessing justice on the environment in Scotland.
Why you should know about access to justice on the environment
The Aarhus Convention is the UN treaty that protects people’s right to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making, and access to legal justice in environmental matters. Access to justice allows us to hold public bodies and polluters to account in court.
The UK ratified the Convention in 2005 but is still in breach of its requirement to ensure that access to justice is ‘fair, equitable, timely and not prohibitively expensive’. In October 2021, the governing bodies of the Convention gave Scotland until October 2024 to fix this.
Why have we seen no reforms and what needs to happen?
Join us to find out what actions are needed now and hear from community campaigners on their fight for justice.
Access to Justice 101
Joining ERCS will be community campaigners Pam Yule and Caz Rae, Wyndford Residents Union and George Niblock, Aberdeenshire Environmental Forum.
Together we will talk you through:
- What is the UN Aarhus Convention?
- Why is Scotland still in breach of the Aarhus Convention’s access to justice requirements and what actions are needed to fix this?
- How has legal aid allowed Wyndford Residents Union to challenge the lack of Environmental Impact Assessment for the demolition of their home?
- How did exorbitant legal costs force the Aberdeenshire Environmental Forum to close after it lost its case on demanding tougher action to clean up litter?
Cover image: Perth Sheriff Court by Simon Armstrong licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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