Informing about climate change

Discussion on climate change should not all be about costs. Many measures will have benefits that go wider than emission reductions – better air quality; a less car-dependent transport system; warmer, more comfortable homes; energy savings for business and consumers; and new jobs and market opportunities from more efficient technologies.

The Århus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (1998) sets out the essential elements of a system of meeting public demands for access to information held by public authorities, namely: a general presumption in favour of access; definitions of "environmental information" and "public authorities" that delineate the scope of information covered and the range of bodies required to supply it; broadly defined terms of access (time limits, costs, form, etc.); and provision for a limited number of exemptions.