• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland

assisting the public to exercise their rights in environmental law

  • Home
  • About us
    • Our purpose, mission & values
    • Our people
    • Our funders
    • Membership
  • Get advice
  • Our rights
    • Campaigns
      • Ending engine idling
      • Fossil Free Law
  • Law reform
  • Legal action
  • Resources
  • Donate

Lunchtime 101: Scottish Environment Court

1 May 2024

54 minutes | Recorded on 16 May 2024

How could a dedicated Scottish Environment Court help us hold public bodies and polluters to account for environmental damage? With over 2000 examples in nearly 70 countries what’s stopping us? 

Resources

Ben’s presentation

  • ERCS/Christman (Oct 2021) Why Scotland needs an environmental court or tribunal
  • ERCS (May 2023) The clear and urgent case for a Scottish Environment Court
  • ERCS (Oct 2023) Review of the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance

Campbell’s presentation

  • ERCS/Gemmell (March 2023) The Clear and Urgent Case for a Scottish Environment Court
Subscribe to our newsletter

Why you should know about a Scottish Environment Court

Creating a Scottish Environment Court would transform the enforcement of environmental rights and protections in Scotland. It would establish a clear route to legal remedy and develop judicial expertise on environmental issues.

Environmental courts and tribunals exist in over 2000 jurisdictions across nearly 70 countries worldwide. A Scottish Environment Court has been under consideration for over forty years but, despite the overwhelming positive evidence on these courts and wide support from environmental and legal experts, the Scottish Government has so far refused to create it.

Why have we seen such little progress?

Join us to get up to speed on how a Scottish Environment Court could radically transform our access to justice on environmental issues.

Scottish Environment Court 101

Joining ERCS’s in-house solicitor Ben Christman will be Prof Campbell Gemmell, visiting professor at Strathclyde University Law School and author of The Clear and Urgent Case for a Scottish Environment Court, and the Hon Justice Brian Preston, Chief Judge of the Land & Environment Court of New South Wales in Australia.

Together we will talk you through:

  • What are the barriers to accessing justice for environmental cases in Scotland?
  • How would an Environment Court help us enforce our right to a healthy environment?
  • What impact has the Land & Environment Court of New South Wales had on environmental rights and protections?
  • How would an Environment Court allow us to enforce environmental law and hold public bodies and polluters to account?

The webinar finishes with a Q&A.

More Lunchtime 101s

A handshake.
21 May 2025

The Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016: How to enforce it and does it need to be strengthened?

25 March 2025

Webinar: Defending environmental democracy

15 October 2024

Lunchtime 101: Sewage pollution

Filed Under: Environmental Court, News, Webinar Tagged With: environmental justice, Events, Lunchtime 101, Scottish Environment Court

Footer

Contact us

Office number: 0131 358 0038

Freephone number: 0800 861 1738

Office hours 9am – 5pm weekdays

or use the contact form

OSCR Registered SCIO SC050257

ERCS Justice for People and the Environment

Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland

Mansfield Traquair Centre
15 Mansfield Place
Edinburgh, EH3 6BB

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2020–2025, Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) • Site by Lynx Graphic Design • Site Credits • Privacy Policy

  • Home
  • Get advice
  • Become a member
  • Donate
We use cookies to help give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy policyOK