Our work
Environmental Democracy
Enhancing environmental democracy through catalysing civic engagement in decision-making to deliver a just transition and ensuring national governments and the EU comply with their legal obligations on climate governance and access to justice.
Project Aims
The aim of EJNI’s Environmental Democracy Observatory is to provide thought leadership, strategic communications and advocacy at both national level in Ireland and Northern Ireland and at EU level on questions around environmental democracy.
Within the broader themes of climate governance and access to justice are evolving priorities built around key political and policy-making moments at national and EU levels. We have five current priorities.
Just Transition
Monitoring progress towards the delivery of a fair, just and equitable transition.
Governance
Levelling up minimum climate governance standards.
Climate Planning
Scrutinising compliance with national and EU climate planning obligations.
Access to Justice
Ensuring compliance with the UNECE Aarhus Convention at national and supranational levels.
Future Generations
Exploring how future generations initiatives can enhance environmental democracy.
LATEST ACTIVITY
Mapping just transition initiatives on the island of Ireland
Mapping Just Transition legal obligations on the island of Ireland
The EU’s 2040 climate target: unlocking the full potential of a decarbonised economy
Research and Analysis on a Just and Fair Transition
What Ireland's Social Climate Plan must include: Six key priorities
Recording: Shaping a Fair and Inclusive Social Climate Plan for Ireland
This webinar includes discussion on the need for Ireland to develop a robust, EU-mandated Social Climate Plan and examines the targeted policy instruments that should be included in the plan.
The NECP and the national long-term strategy are essential, EU-mandated climate plans designed to set out in detail how we are going to meet our national and international commitments. These are not tick-box exercises. Both these strategies are really important for setting out what we are going to do to get to net zero, when we are going to do it and how exactly we are going to do it.
In February 2025, EJNI’s Alison Hough spoke at a United Nations Taskforce of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Justice in Geneva, addressing:
💧Barriers and issues with access to water justice in the EU
🗺️Global water inequality and failure to implement the Water Framework Directive
🤝Importance of cooperation on transboundary water issues
➡️Potential use of technology to enhance
In November 2024 EJNI submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission regarding Ireland’s updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), alleging non-compliance with EU law and highlighting critical failures in both the plan’s content and its development process. The complaint centered on several key areas: the inadequate addressing of fossil fuel subsidy phase-out, insufficient policies and measures to meet 2030 climate targets (including those for the Effort Sharing Regulation and Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry), and the failure to adequately assess and address socio-economic impacts and energy poverty.
