A dedicated Scottish Environment Court would reduce costs, develop expertise, increase accessibility, effectiveness and efficiency to achieve better outcomes for people and the environment.
In June 2023, the Scottish Government published its Framing Report and consultation on the Review of Environmental Governance. This should have marked a turning point in reassessing how environmental disputes are dealt with in Scotland, transforming our environmental governance regime to ensure we can uphold our right to a healthy environment.
However, the review fell short of expectations, with the Scottish Government failing to meet their legal duty to consider whether the establishment of an environmental court could enhance governance arrangements.
Despite this setback, calls for a dedicated Scottish Environment Court are only growing stronger, and our advocacy will continue into 2024.
Learn more
Read our ERCS briefing on the clear and urgent case for a Scottish Environment Court.
For a more detailed look at the arguments, you can read our reports on The clear and urgent case for a Scottish Environment Court (Gemmell, March 2023) and Why Scotland needs an environmental court or tribunal (October 2021).