In recent decades, the introduction of a right of public access to environmental information has been acclaimed as a major achievement in improving environmental governance across the world and it is frequently asserted that this right “will improve environmental protection”. Yet remarkably little work has been undertaken to examine how the right is being used in practice and whether it is in fact making a difference. This book will provide some answers to those vital questions, building on empirical work in Scotland to identify lessons that are of general application. It offers insights into the workings of the processes for accessing environmental information – who is using them, what information is being sought and for what purposes? – and into whether what is happening in practice lives up to the aspirations that underpin the introduction of the right. The findings reveal a significant mismatch between aspirations and practice that requires consideration of what is currently being achieved and how the position might be improved.

The research behind this book was carried out at the University of Dundee and was supported by a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council (ref. ES/P010067/1), running from January 2018 to June 2020. The investigators who submitted the proposal, Professor Colin Reid in Law and Dr Jonathan Mendel in Geography, were joined by Dr Sean Whittaker as a research assistant until he was appointed Lecturer in Law in late 2019. For the final months of the funded project, this research assistant post was filled by Dr Petya Dragneva who – despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – was able to do excellent work in preparing interview material for archiving, working on interview transcripts, and other parts of the project. A project website was established and is available at: https://sites.dundee.ac.uk/envinfo.