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 We realise that both of these documents make very difficult reading, but we have provided you with a simplified guide to both.

Please stay with us, as it tuns out both of these documents are very important.

The Aarhus Convention.

The Aarhus Convention came into being in June 1998, and entered into force in October 2001. By April of 2008 it had been signed and ratified by over 40 countries. This convention has been signed and ratified by the UK government.

The Aarhus Convention grants the public rights regarding access to information, public participation and access to justice, in governmental decision-making processes on matters concerning the local, national and transboundary environment. It focuses on interactions between the public and public authorities.

Information on the Aarhus Convention can be found

at Wikipedia                  Decriptive.

At Unece.org                 Simplified.

At Unece.org                 In full.

 

The Kyoto Protocol. 

The Kyoyo Protocol came into being in May 2003, and was signed by 36 states and the European Community, by April of 2008 it had been ratified by 11 countries, it is expected that the other countries will follow suit.. This convention has been signed and ratified by the UK government.

The Kiev Protocol is the first legally binding international instrument on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs). PRTRs are inventories of pollution from industrial sites and other sources such as agriculture and transport.

"Public Participation in Decisions on Deliberate Release into the Environment" was adopted at the Second Meeting of the Parties on 27 May 2005.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan (1997-2006) has said, 

"Although regional in scope, the significance of the Aarhus Convention is global. It is by far the most impressive elaboration of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration, which stresses the need for citizens' participation in environmental issues and for access to information on the environment held by public authorities. As such it is the most ambitious venture in the area of environmental democracy so far undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations."

 Information on the Kyoto Protocol can be found

at Wikipedia                  Decriptive.

At Alertnet.org             Simplified.

At BBC  News             In full.

 

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