Environmental Rights and Equality in the EU: Addressing the Aarhus Paradox (Routledge-Giappichelli Studies in Law)

The emergence of environmental public participation rights in Europe has provided people with greater opportunities to access environmental information, participate in environmental decision-making, and seek judicial protection of their right to a healthy environment.However, significant barriers to exercising environmental participation rights persist for many, particularly those who face other forms of marginalization connected to race, gender, and economic status.Such obstacles can result in outcomes that reinforce, rather than reduce, environmental inequality and injustice, a phenomenon known as the ‘Aarhus paradox.’ In the light of this chal-lenge, this book seeks to understand what tools may be available within the European legal order to ensure that all persons enjoy equal opportunities for environmental participation.Drawing upon social sciences and legal scholarship and looking towards the practice of EU institutions, courts and human rights bodies, this volume explores how la