Unit ED7: Public Access to Environmental Information. Flashcards
Legal Requirements Affecting Provision of Information to The Public are
- Freedom of Information Act 2000
- UNECE Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters 1998
What is the Freedom of Information Act 2000
gives the public a right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, but with a wide range of specified exemptions
What is the UNECE Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters 1998
- Public authorities have a duty to make environmental information available to any person who requests it. They are also required to provide advice and assistance
- Environmental Information’ includes any measure or activity likely to affect, or affecting the environment, measures designed to protect the environment, emissions, discharges and other releases, cost-benefit and economic analyses and the state of human health and safety
The UNECE Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters 1998, is ratified in the UK by what legislation
Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (the
What is Benchmarking
Benchmarking is a term used in industry for internal and external comparative assessment and is becoming increasingly popular as an environmental management tool.
Benchmarking can achieve the following
- Assess significance.
- Identify areas for improvement
- Justify performance.
- Set performance targets
Environmental Labelling
Labels may cover issues such as:
- Protection of natural resources,biodiversity and habitats.
- Minimisation of energy and water used in manufacturing.
- Restrictions on chemicals; emissions to air, water and soil; reduction of energy and
water consumption in use. - Policies on packaging, noise, waste management and recycling.
The EU Energy efficiency label must be displayed on new household electrical products such as dishwashers, washing machines and refrigerators. The label identifies
- Details of the appliance
- Energy class
- Consumption, efficiency and capacity
- Noise levels.
What is the The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC
scheme comprises of Chain of Custody and Forest Management components
What are the ISO 14024, ISO 14021 and ISO 14025 standards used for
standards have identified a classification system for environmental product claims and labels, determined from the type of claim
What is the Role of NGO’s
NGOs urge state authorities to fulfil their role in upholding the law and are keen to work in co-operation with local authorities and others to find solutions to environmental problems. Examples include:
List some examples of NGO’s
- friends of the earth
- greenpeice
- royal society for the protection of birds
- national trust
- environmental protection UK
What is the role of Professional Bodies
The aim of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) is to promote sustainability by high quality environmental practice and performance and it offers ongoing assistance to environmental professionals.
What is the role of the The Media
The mass media (including the Internet) have a major influence on how organisations and individuals perceive, interpret and act on environmental concerns.
There are five key steps in identifying stakeholders:
- Build management commitment.
- Determine scope and set up a review team
- Review current engagement methods and success/failures.
- Record results - the results of the interviews should be documented.
- Group stakeholders and issues
