Your Right to a Healthy Environment - UNECE

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CASE STUDYInformation is power – if you can get itIn a small town on the fringes of Europe, the local people havebecome increasingly concerned about the quality of their drinkingwater. Several young women in the neighbourhood have contracteda rare and fatal form of cancer. Rumours are circulating thattheir deaths might be connected with discharges from a timberprocessing plant in the catchment area that supplies the town’sdrinking water.The locals form a residents’ group to look into the situation. As afirst step, they ask the local authority for copies of the monitoringdata on discharges from the timber processing plant, which thecompany is required to monitor on a daily basis under the termsof its operating licence, and for copies of the publicly fundeddrinking water monitoring data. They also ask the health board forepidemiological data on the incidence of that type of cancer in theprovince, to determine whether or not the situation in their town isunusual.The local authority fails to respond for three months, despiteseveral reminders. It finally replies that the information about theplant’s discharges is confidential, but without giving any reasons.The residents’ group may come and inspect the drinking water dataat the local authority offices during opening hours but may not takecopies of the information, even for a fee. The health board refusesto provide the statistical information requested on the grounds thatit could jeopardize the right to personal privacy, even though theresidents insist that they are interested only in the statistics, not indata on any individual.As no other appeals process is available, the residents’ group triesto go to court to force both of the public authorities to disclosethe information. However, since it is an ad hoc group formed in
esponse to an immediate concern and lacks legal status, the courtrules that the group does not have standing (the right to bring acase to court). Meanwhile, two more cases of cancer are diagnosedin the town …It was to address situations like this that the Aarhus Conventioncame into being. While the overall example is fictitious, the elementsthat compose it are all too real and commonplace.The Aarhus Convention responds to people’s concerns about the quality of theirenvironment, including drinking water.UNEP/Donn Bell
Page 1 and 2: YourRightto ahealthy environmentA s
Page 3: Your rightto ahealthy environmentA
Page 7 and 8: Table of contentsThe birth of envir
Page 9 and 10: RIGHTSThe birth of environmental ri
Page 11 and 12: RESPONSIBILITYand Access to Justice
Page 13 and 14: ACCESSThe right to knowIn a democra
Page 15: If the request for information is r
Page 19 and 20: PARTICIPATIONThe public has a role
Page 21 and 22: CASE STUDYCASE STUDYListening to th
Page 23 and 24: JUSTICE© REUTERS/Christian Charisi
Page 25 and 26: SUPPORTEnvironmental rights in the
Page 27 and 28: Aarhus CentresAarhus Centres have b

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