Environmental Reporting and Information Sources

• Author: Jamie Benidickson
• Pages: 388-396

388

CH AP TER 18

ENVIRONMENTAL

REPORTING AND

INFOR M ATION SOURCES

A. INT RODUC TION

Under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Europe an agree-

ment was reached at Aarhus, Denmark, i n 1998 concerning access to

information, public participation in deci sion making and access to jus-

tice in environmental m atters. In this context, the Aarhus Convention

formally def‌ined “environmental i nformation” as any information, in

whatever form, relating to:

(a) The state of elements of the env ironment, such as air a nd atmos-

phere, water, soil, landscape, a nd natural sites, biologica l divers-

ity and its components, includ ing genetically modif‌ied organ isms,

and the interaction among t hese elements;

(b) Factors such as substances, energy, noise, and rad iation, and ac-

tivities or mea sures, including admini strative measures, environ-

mental agr eements, policie s, legislation, plans, and prog rammes,

affecting or like ly to affect the elements of the env ironment

within the s cope of subparagraph (a) above, and cost-benef‌it and

other economic analyse s and assumptions used i n environmental

decision-mak ing;

(c) The state of human health and s afety, conditions of human life,

cultural sites a nd built structure s, inasmuch as they are or m ay

be affected by the st ate of the elements of the environ ment or,