Environmental monitoring and procedural rights -

from data to wise decision-making

Mats Kullberg
Swedish EPA
Environmental monitoring describes
the state of the environment

• Indispensable for environmental work

• Laws, conventions and national environmental

objectives decide what is monitored

• Several actors involved (e.g. national,

regional, local, private, academia,
associations, NGOs, individuals etc.)

• Environmental monitoring is a long-term

activity
Environmental monitoring plays
a major role in our lives
• Protection of public water supplies
• Urban air quality
• Hazardous, nonhazardous and radioactive
waste management
• Natural resources protection and
management
• Endangered species and biodiversity
• Global climate changes
• Weather forecasting
• Economic development and land planning
• Population growth
There is a link between the state of the
environment and our rights to a safe,
clean and healthy environment
 WISDOM
From data to wise decision- N t abili
ty

Judgement
TIO coun
making U
C A
NI n, Ac
MM ati
o
CO rticip
a UNDERSTANDING
2I, P
. A
E.g

Comprehension
Integration

Increasing human value added

KNOWLEDGE

Interpretation
Organisation
G
O RIN
NIT INFORMATION
MO Selection
Testing

DATA
Verification

OBSERVATION
AND
MEASUREMENT
Increasing subjectivity
 Conditions for the effectiveness of
communication initiatives

TS
SUL
G RE
RI N
O
O NIT
M

Condition 1 Condition 2 Condition 3

Transparency Publicity Accountability

makes makes makes
information information information
available accessible actionable

Source: WDR, Governance and the law, WB, 2017

The Rio Declaration, 1992
Principle 10

Environmental issues are best handled with

participation of all concerned citizens, at the
relevant level.

At the national level, each individual shall have

appropriate access to information concerning the
environment that is held by public authorities,
including information on hazardous materials and
activities in their communities, and the opportunity
to participate in decision-making processes.

States shall facilitate and encourage public

awareness and participation by making information
widely available. Effective access to judicial and
administrative proceedings, including redress and
remedy, shall be provided.
 The Århus Convention, 1998

Article 1: OBJECTIVE

In order to contribute to the protection of the right of every person of present and future
generations to live in an environment adequate to his or her health and well-being, each
Party shall guarantee the rights of
access to information, public participation in
decision-making, and access to justice in
environmental matters in accordance with the
provisions of this Convention.
The Protocol of PRTR (Kiev 2003)
Core Human Rights Principles

• Equality/non-discrimination

• Transparency/accountability

• Participation/inclusion
 Key principles of good governance

• Transparency and access to information (A2I)

• Participation

• Accountability

• Rule of Law

• Integration

• Coordination and Coherency

• Responsiveness

Source: The Role of governance for improved environmental outcomes, Swedish EPA, 2012
Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency 2019-04-23 12
The right to timely and The right to The right to have access
effective access to participate, as an to justice to protect his
information on individual or or her environmental
environmental matters collectively, in making rights
decisions that affect
the environment
Participation is embedded in political
realities and struggles

• The key defining element of participation is power

• Participation is situated in particular processes,

localities and actors

• Participation is invitational and not imposed

• Participation is contingent and dependent on how

we ´think participation´

Source: Evaluating communication for development, J, Lennie and Jo Tacchi

Meaningful stakeholder engagement

• Two-way

• ‘Good faith’

• Responsive

• Ongoing

Source: OECD Due Diligence for Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement in the Extractive Sector, 2016
There can be no participation

without communication