Environmental Reporting and Information Sources

• Author: Jamie Benidickson
• Pages: 423-432

423

CH AP TE R 19

ENVIRONMENTAL

REPORTING AND

INFOR M ATION SOURCES

A. INTRODUCT ION

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 acce ss 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 and atmo s-

phere, water, soil, landscape, a nd natural sites, biological diver s-

ity and its components, inc luding genetically modif‌ied organ isms,

and the interaction among t hese elements;

(b) Factors such a s substances, energy, noise, and radiation, a nd activ-

ities or measure s, including administ rative measures, envir on-

mental agr eements, policies, leg islation, plan s, and programmes,

affecting or like ly to affect the elements of the environ ment

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

other economic analys es and assumptions used i n environmental

decision-mak ing;

(c) The state of human health a nd safety, conditions of human life,

cultural sites a nd built structures, in asmuch as they are or may

be affected by the st ate of the elements of the environment or,