Ensuring environmental access rights in the Caribbean: analysis of selected case law 3 Ensuring environmental access rights in the Caribbean Analysis of selected case law Thank you for your interest in this ECLAC publication ECLAC Publications Please register if you would like to receive information on our editorial products and activities. When you register, you may specify your particular areas of interest and you will gain access to our products in other formats. www.cepal.org/en/suscripciones Ensuring environmental access rights in the Caribbean Analysis of selected case law This document is a joint publication of the Caribbean Court of Justice Academy of Law (CCJ Academy of Law) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Justice Winston Anderson, Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice, and David Barrio Lamarche, Environmental Affairs Officer of the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division of ECLAC, prepared this publication with support from Alicia Carter, Research Assistant of the Caribbean Court of Justice, and Carlos de Miguel and Valeria Torres, respectively Chief and Economic Affairs Officer of the Policies for Sustainable Development Unit of the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division of ECLAC. The document was prepared under the overall supervision of Joseluis Samaniego, Chief of the Sustainable Development and Human Settlements Division of ECLAC. The rulings contained in this document are available at the Observatory on Principle 10 in Latin America and the Caribbean: http://observatoriop10.cepal.org/en. This document was prepared with financial support from the United Nations Development Account under the project “Addressing critical socio-environmental challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean”. United Nations publication LC/TS.2018/31/Rev.1 Distribution: L Original: English Copyright © United Nations, 2018 / © Caribbean Court of Justice, 2018 All rights reserved Printed at United Nations, Santiago S.18-00510 This publication should be cited as: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and Caribbean Court of Justice Academy of Law (CCJ Academy of Law), Ensuring environmental access rights in the Caribbean: analysis of selected case law (LC/TS.2018/31/Rev.1), Santiago, 2018. Applications for authorization to reproduce this work in whole or in part should be sent to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Publications and Web Services Division, [email protected]. Member States and their governmental institutions may reproduce this work without prior authorization, but are requested to mention the source and to inform ECLAC of such reproduction. Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Chapter I Overview of the Caribbean legal framework on environmental access rights ......................................................................................9 A. International and regional obligations on environmental access rights ...............................................................................................11 1. International agreements................................................................................................................................................................11 2. The Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean ...............................................................................................................................................14 3. Subregional obligations on environmental access rights ..............................................................................................................16 B. National obligations regarding environmental access rights ...............................................................................................................18 1. Constitutional basis ........................................................................................................................................................................18 2. Statutory basis ................................................................................................................................................................................18 Chapter II Core elements for ensuring environmental access rights .......................................................................................................................25 A. Access to environmental information ....................................................................................................................................................27 1. Scope of the right............................................................................................................................................................................27 2. Definition of environmental information ........................................................................................................................................28 3. Environmental registers ..................................................................................................................................................................29 4. Information to participate in environmental decision-making processes ......................................................................................30 B. Public participation in environmental matters ......................................................................................................................................32 1. Scope of the right............................................................................................................................................................................32 2. Obligation to undertake public participation in the absence of statutory provisions ....................................................................34 3. Proper consultation .........................................................................................................................................................................37 4. The role of public participation in Environmental Impact Assessment ..........................................................................................37 5. Participation at an early stage and reasonable timeframes ..........................................................................................................39 6. Requirements for notification of the public ....................................................................................................................................40 7. Consideration of observations made by the public ........................................................................................................................41 8. Specific measures for the directly affected public and specific groups ........................................................................................42 C. Access to justice in environmental matters ..........................................................................................................................................43 1. Legal standing .................................................................................................................................................................................43 2. Costs................................................................................................................................................................................................44 3. Delay in bringing applications for judicial review ..........................................................................................................................47 4. Alternatives to Dispute Resolution .................................................................................................................................................48 Chapter III Selected Caribbean case law on access rights in environmental matters ..........................................................................................51 Chapter IV Final considerations .......................................................................................................................................................................................87 Bibliography .....................................................................................................................................................................................................91 Annexes ............................................................................................................................................................................................................93 Tables Table 1 Ratification of multilateral environmental agreements in the Caribbean ............................................................................13 Table 2 General environmental laws in the Caribbean ......................................................................................................................19 Table 3 Physical planning laws in the Caribbean ...............................................................................................................................22 Table 4 Freedom of information laws in the Caribbean .....................................................................................................................23