The Global Report on Environmental Rule of Law is an annual publication by the UN Environment Programme. It provides a complete breakdown of the developments that have taken place in this sector since the first release in 2019. To promote and advance the rule of law.
All the information gets collected by surveying UN member states about their laws, civic engagements, rights and justice. To help readers track the progress in addressing the triple planetary crisis.
Key takeaways
- Laws are plenty, but enforcement is lacking: There are many environmental laws around the world, but they're not properly enforced. This makes it hard to tackle environmental issues.
- Specialised environmental enforcement: Growing attention has been given to special environmental enforcement in the development and capacity building of institutes.
- Progress is happening: There are positive signs! Recognition of environmental rights is growing, and countries are putting more effort into enforcing environmental laws with specialised institutions.
- Women are making a difference: The report highlights the important role women play in advocating for environmental rule of law.
- Technology is playing a part: New technologies are a must to improve environmental rule of law efforts.
- Climate change is a big driver: Climate change is a major reason why rule of law is so important, and it's also pushing countries to take action.
- COVID-19 had mixed impacts: The pandemic affected the environmental rule of law in both positive and negative ways.
Recommendations of the report
Finally, the report has also enlisted 4 recommendations -
- Create a common way to measure how well countries follow environmental laws.
- Develop clear advice on how to enforce environmental laws during emergencies like floods or earthquakes.
- Make sure environmental organisations consider the needs of all people, not just some.
- Explore how technology can protect the environment more effectively.
Read the entire environmental rule of law report here:
