Environmental rule of law (ERL) represents the efficient and effective functioning of environmental governance across multiple levels of institutions, sectors, and actors. Core elements of ERL include public participation in environmental decision making, which improves information available to decision makers, enhances implementation, avoids or resolves disputes, builds public support, and improves compliance. When discussing public participation, it is important to discuss access rights as a whole.

1. Environmental
Rule of Law
Preeti Kana Sikder
Assistant Professor
Department of Law & Justice
Jahangirnagar University

2. ERL represents the efficient
and effective functioning of
environmental governance
across multiple levels of
institutions, sectors, and
actors.

3. Core Elements of
Environmental
Rule of Law
The United Nations Environment Programme’s
Governing Council

4. The Winner
Public participation in environmental
decision making improves the information
available to decision makers, can enhance
implementation, and provides a means for
avoiding or resolving disputes before they
escalate. It can also build public support for
the outcome, and improve compliance.

5. When talking about ‘public participation’
it is important to talk about “access
rights” as a whole