Your Right to a Healthy Environment - UNECE

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Parties to the Aarhus Convention(as of June 2006)AlbaniaArmeniaAustriaAzerbaijanBelarusBelgiumBulgariaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGeorgiaGreeceHungaryItalyKazakhstanKyrgyzstanLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRepublic of MoldovaRomaniaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenTajikistanThe Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedoniaTurkmenistanUkraineUnited KingdomEuropean Communityvi
RIGHTSThe birth of environmental rightsA government ministry supports a project to fill in an abandoned copper minewith sewage sludge from a wastewater treatment plant. The ministry classifiesthe waste as non-hazardous, but other authorities and experts point out that thewastewater includes industrial discharge from several factories.Citizens from a nearby village form a committee to oppose the plan. They sue theproject contractor, but the court rejects their claim. The citizens are convincedthat the court is ignoring applicable laws as well as strong evidence that theindustrial wastes could be dangerous for their community. But, without fullaccess to scientific information about the case, and with no further legal remediesavailable, their case stalls.Not so long ago, this would have been the end of the campaign. But today, agrowing number of citizens are benefiting from a new emphasis on environmentalThe Aarhus Convention recognizes every person’s right to a healthy environment – as well as hisor her duty to protect it.
Page 1 and 2: YourRightto ahealthy environmentA s
Page 3: Your rightto ahealthy environmentA
Page 7: Table of contentsThe birth of envir
Page 11 and 12: RESPONSIBILITYand Access to Justice
Page 13 and 14: ACCESSThe right to knowIn a democra
Page 15 and 16: If the request for information is r
Page 17 and 18: esponse to an immediate concern and
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

Your Right to a Healthy Environment - UNECE

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