A Brave New World: The Aarhus Convention in Tempestuous Times

Abstract

Abstract The rights guaranteed under the Aarhus Convention enable individuals and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to act to defend the environment in the public interest. In these tempestuous times, where environmental democracy faces unprecedented challenges, the Convention stands firmly as a beacon of hope to deliver better outcomes for the environment and to protect human rights. This short commentary identifies new significant developments within the Aarhus framework concerning the protection of environmental defenders, the impact of the pandemic and the application of the Convention during armed conflict. It also reflects briefly on the more general issue of implementation.