scholarly journals Environmental Information for Public Access

1996 ◽  
pp. 199-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Kutschera ◽  
Gerald Schimak ◽  
Heinrich Humer
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Information ◽  
Public Access

Public Access to Environmental Information Held by Private Companies

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uzuazo Etemire
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
The Public ◽  
Utility Companies ◽  
Water Companies

The pervading thought in England and Wales has been that private utility companies such as water-only companies (WOCs) and water and sewage companies (WASCs) were public authorities under the 2004 Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and so were subject to the regime. However, on 23 November 2010, on appeal, the Upper Tribunal delivered a judgment in the case of Smartsource Drainage & Water Report Ltd v The Information Commissioner and 19 Water Companies to the effect that WOCs and WASCs were not public authorities under the EIR. This decision potentially puts certain important environmental information out of public reach in England and Wales. This paper briefly addresses the contextual issues of the advancement of the public's right to access environmental information into the domain of the private sector and why the public needs to be able to access environmental information directly from private companies and not just from government regulators. Primarily, however, this paper reinforces the case for wide public access to environmental information held by private companies mainly through counter-arguments raised to demonstrate the lack of purposive and contextual interpretation by the Upper Tribunal, in the Smartsource case, of the relevant provisions of the EIR (i.e., Regulation 2(2)(c) and (d)). It concludes with a possible legislative solution to help clarify the import of the relevant EIR provision.

Improving public access to environmental information in China

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 1649-1656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Fugui ◽  
Xiong Bing ◽  
Xu Bing
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Information ◽  
Public Access

Urban Environment Quality in the Italian Spatial Data Infrastructure

2013 ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Congedo ◽  
F. Baiocco ◽  
S. Brini ◽  
L. Liberti ◽  
M. Munafò
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Data Infrastructure ◽  
Environment Quality

Public access to environmental information is granted by international law. The European Community has established an Infrastructure for Spatial Information (INSPIRE) in order to provide data and information to effected environmental policies. ISPRA coordinates the Italian Environmental Information and Monitoring System (SINA) and represents the national Inspire coordination structure. Moreover, ISPRA disseminates environmental information through reports, on-line services, and WebGis. Recently, a new WebGis has been developed to provide public access to environmental indicators data contained in the annual report on urban environment quality. Soil, water and air quality, waste, industrial risk, transport and mobility, acoustic and electromagnetic pollution, nature and biodiversity, tourism, and energy were analysed in 34 urban areas. The WebGis provides simple and powerful tools to analyze environmental dynamics of urban areas promoting participatory planning. It was designed to easily access and select the indicators data and to represent their spatial and temporal distribution.

Organisational Barriers to Widening Public Access to Environmental Information: Appraising the Scottish Office's Strategy

1999 ◽  
Vol 27 (First Serie (1) ◽  
pp. 59-81
Author(s):  
John Moxen ◽  
Alistair McCulloch ◽  
Elaine Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Information ◽  
Public Access

The Aarhus Convention: A Basis for Reforming the Legislation on Access to Environmental Information in Kazakhstan

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-295
Author(s):  
Vadim Ni
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Legal Requirements ◽  
New Approaches ◽  
Economic Commission ◽  
Aarhus Convention

AbstractThis article describes the prerequisites, stages and outcomes of the reform of legislation on public access to environmental information in Kazakhstan, where the Convention of the UN Economic Commission for Europe on Access to Environmental Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention, or Convention)1 has served as a driving force in this process. New approaches and legal requirements on access to environmental information have been embodied in the Environmental Code2 and the new Law on the Procedure for Review of Appeals from Natural and Legal Persons (Law on appeals)3.

Framework Design of Cloud Computing Based Environmental Information Disclosure Platform

2012 ◽  
Vol 263-266 ◽  
pp. 1997-2003
Author(s):  
Wei Hua Zeng ◽  
Long Quan Yu ◽  
Lin Jia Zhao ◽  
Xiao Hong Zhong ◽  
Kun Peng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Information Platform ◽  
The Public ◽  
Environmental Information Disclosure ◽  
Innovation Model

In order to promote multi-directional exchanges among environmental management departments, enterprises and public to improve capacity of environmental information disclosure, environmental governance open innovation model based on environmental information disclosure should be established to take advantage of the public pressures of environmental governance to promote improvement of environmental behavior of enterprises and government departments. Environmental governance open innovation model is based on the public access to environmental information, thereby establishing a comprehensive environmental information platform is essential. By taking advantage of cloud computing technology features of ultra-large-scale, high scalability and on-demand services, a cloud computing based environment information platform will be established to meet needs of public access to environmental information and environmental participation. The platform can customize different services for different users, and promote the development of environmental governance mode to achieve the improvement of environmental quality.

The application of information technology and environmental protection

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-709
Author(s):  
Mirjana Drenovak Ivanović
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Public Access ◽  
The Public ◽  
Environmental Decision Making ◽  
Aarhus Convention

The Aarhus Convention became a part of the Serbian legal system through the adoption of the Law on Ratification of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in May 2009. Although the legislation in Serbia, prior to the ratification of the Aarhus Convention, pointed, to some extent, to the realization of ideas promoted by it, following the ratification, there was the formal possibility of the consistent application of rights stipulated by the Convention. This article analyses the role of information technology (IT) in providing public access to environmental information. There are three basic ways IT may be applied in environmental protection. First, through the use of IT for environmental matters, the public can be informed about the general condition of the environment. In the legal system of Serbia, the Agency for Environmental Protection is obliged to collect environmental information from local government and compile annual reports on the environment that should be presented on the Agency website. This article analyses the information systems of the Serbian Agency for Environmental Protection and the further possibilities of using these. Second, IT can be used as a way of regular communication between government and citizens. In accordance with the principle of transparency, government bodies are obliged to provide an adequate way for the public to have an insight into their work. In addition, the authorized person is responsible for the accuracy of this information and for providing public access within a reasonable timeframe. In this sense, the article analyses the legal framework of e-access to environmental information and the relevant practice of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection. Third, the application of IT in environmental matters can promote public participation in environmental decision-making. If there were a legal framework, the public would be able to participate in procedures, such as environmental impact assessments, by submitting their opinions as e-documents. This article points out the relations between the application of IT and the level of public awareness about the environment, and the impact these relations have on environmental protection. Points for practitioners The article examines whether there is a possibility of using IT as a means of achieving daily communication between government and citizens in matters of the protection, preservation and improvement of the environment in Serbia, how the application of information technology achieves wider public participation in environmental decision-making, and whether the application of IT can eliminate deficiencies in the assessment of environmental impacts which occur in practice. The article provides an overview of environmental legislation in Serbia, which regulates the possibility of using IT in environmental protection and administrative practice.

Urban Environment Quality in the Italian Spatial Data Infrastructure

2013 ◽  
pp. 1137-1149
Author(s):  
L. Congedo ◽  
F. Baiocco ◽  
S. Brini ◽  
L. Liberti ◽  
M. Munafò
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Data Infrastructure ◽  
Environment Quality

Public access to environmental information is granted by international law. The European Community has established an Infrastructure for Spatial Information (INSPIRE) in order to provide data and information to effected environmental policies. ISPRA coordinates the Italian Environmental Information and Monitoring System (SINA) and represents the national Inspire coordination structure. Moreover, ISPRA disseminates environmental information through reports, on-line services, and WebGis. Recently, a new WebGis has been developed to provide public access to environmental indicators data contained in the annual report on urban environment quality. Soil, water and air quality, waste, industrial risk, transport and mobility, acoustic and electromagnetic pollution, nature and biodiversity, tourism, and energy were analysed in 34 urban areas. The WebGis provides simple and powerful tools to analyze environmental dynamics of urban areas promoting participatory planning. It was designed to easily access and select the indicators data and to represent their spatial and temporal distribution.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document