Our vision is of a Scotland where every person’s right to a healthy environment is respected, protected and fulfilled
Latest news & updates
Defending Cullaloe Forest from environmental harm – Mark’s Voice for Justice
This Voices for Justice comes from Mark, who was concerned about the environmental harm of a local quarry and its storage and processing of incinerator waste, contaminating the adjacent forest. Without the commitment and tenacity of Mark, other concerned residents and local Councillors, pollution controls would not be enforced, and environmental harms would be allowed to continue unchecked …
Environmental and human rights groups urge UK government to back binding Council of Europe Protocol on the right to a healthy environment – press release
Over sixty organisations have written to UK government ministers ahead of a major meeting of the Council of Europe, urging them to back proposals for an additional …
Scottish charities call on Holyrood to make environmental policies more inclusive – press release
Ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election, human rights and environmental organisations have urged Scottish political parties to improve how environmental policies affect marginalised and disadvantaged groups …
April newsletter
Read our April newsletter on defending environmental democracy, with highlights from the parliamentary debate on environmental justice, our work on the Aarhus Convention and campaign updates …
Defending environmental democracy: Why have newts and bats become public enemy number one?
Clare Symonds from Planning Democracy summarises our latest webinar on the erosion of environmental democracy and the planning system …
A bit of a waste of time for all of us: the Scottish Government’s Review of the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance
In this long read, our Legal Director Dr Ben Christman breaks down the failures of the Scottish Government’s review on environmental governance, in which they refused to strengthen environmental protections …
Our aim
To support individuals and communities to use their environmental rights to protect the environment, tackle climate change, and improve local biodiversity and greenspaces for health and wellbeing.
We do this by:
- awareness-raising to increase confidence in using our environmental rights – see our resources
- advice to increase access to justice and holding public authorities and polluters to account
- advocacy in policy and law reform to improve environmental law – see our work
- public interest litigation to tackle ongoing environmental problems.
ERCS understands environmental law as including law relating to land-use planning, climate change, pollution control, environmental health, the conservation of biodiversity, and any other field (e.g. cultural heritage, transport and energy) to the extent that it impacts on the natural environment and/or the right to live in a healthy environment.
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