Find out about the work of the Environmental Standards Scotland
At Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS), it is important to us that we are accessible to the public. To do that well, we need your help.
We are an independent oversight body, set up to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment. Our job is to assess whether the Scottish Government and public bodies (including SEPA, NatureScot and local authorities) are complying with environmental law. We also examine whether environmental law itself is effective and how it is being implemented and applied across Scotland.
ESS was created after the UK left the European Union, replacing some of the environmental oversight previously carried out by the European Commission. As we approach our third anniversary, we have established ourselves as a trusted and authoritative part of Scotland’s environmental governance landscape.
We can examine aspects of environmental law based upon our own analysis and monitoring work, a lot of which is influenced through the intelligence we receive from stakeholders. Some of our recent analytical work includes assessing air quality in Scotland and we are currently conducting work in soils, climate change adaptation and combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges. We have also recently held a call for evidence on the impact of invasive non-native species in our communities.
The other part of our work is examining environmental concerns through the information we receive directly from individuals, communities and organisations – which we call representations. An important part of this work is ensuring we are an accessible organisation. This means that individuals and communities know we are here and are confident in raising their concerns with us. It is why we have launched an engagement programme, reaching out to communities across Scotland to understand and discuss the environmental concerns which affect them.
How can you make a difference?
Of course, we do not expect those who come to us with environmental concerns to be experts in environmental law – that’s our job, and our staff are skilled at exploring the legal and policy issues at the heart of any environmental concern. What we are looking for is to hear from the public about any environmental issues of concern and for them to share their lived experiences of the impact of these issues within their communities. What may seem like an isolated environmental issue impacting just one community may turn out to be part of a wider systemic policy failure or issues with environmental law itself – and we want to know about it!
For example, we received a representation expressing concerns about a specific beaver translocation license application. We uncovered problems with the way in which NatureScot implemented the requirements of the Habitats Regulations. As a result of our work, NatureScot strengthened its guidance to further protect the integrity of European sites, as intended by the requirements of the Habitats Regulations.
This is just one of many examples of change resulting from our engagement with individuals and local community groups. We have already been made aware of a wide range of environmental concerns, including the effectiveness of climate change legislation, the environmental impact assessment regime, tree felling, sewage discharge and the efforts taken to improve water quality. You can read more about our casework on the investigations page of our website.
No one appreciates the threat posed by climate change and environmental decline more than the people that are living with the impact of it, and this is why we want to hear from you. Our engagement programme seeks to a create space in which ESS can listen and learn from you and in a way we hope is engaging and personal. By doing so, we seek to enable everyone to play a part in helping to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment.
If you or your organisation would like to find out more about our engagement programme, or set up your own session, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Megan at megan.falloon@environmentalstandards.scot for more information.
If you have an environmental concern you would like to raise, or are thinking of raising, with ESS, our team would be happy to assist. Please contact our Investigations, Standards and Compliance team by emailing representations@environmentalstandards.scot.
Jamie McGrandles is head of investigations, standards and compliance for Environmental Standards Scotland.
