Ensuring Scotland has high environmental standards and strong systems to maintain them

Guest blog by Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS)

As the first generation to grow up with climate change as a defining issue, today’s young people are rightly taking action against the climate crisis and helping drive a just transition.

Organisations like the 2050 Climate Group are doing inspiring work, empowering a new generation of environmentalists to take the lead in tackling the climate emergency. At Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS), we are playing our part by ensuring Scotland’s environmental laws are complied with and their effectiveness improved.

What does ESS do?

Our job is to monitor and investigate public bodies’ compliance with environmental law, the effectiveness of the law and how it is implemented and applied in Scotland. Our recent work includes exploring issues such as air quality, soil degradation, and the composition and distribution of marine litter in Scotland. We have also analysed the systems in place to manage storm overflows and currently have live investigations into the protected habitats for endangered birds, and the sustainability of bycatch fishing in West of Scotland waters.

Part of our work is examining environmental concerns through the information we receive directly from individuals, communities and organisations. These submissions - known as representations - are a vital part of how we address the urgent environmental challenges facing Scotland today.

How can you get involved?

We are keen to hear from the new generation of environmentalists so we can understand the issues that are important to them. We don’t expect you 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 concern. What may seem like an isolated environmental issue may turn out to be part of a wider systemic policy failure or issues with environmental law itself.

Some of the issues brought to our attention include the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regime, tree felling guidelines, sewage discharge and the efforts taken to improve water and air quality.

We were also recently approached by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that raised concerns about the overly complex process of designating popular swimming areas as official bathing waters. This designation is crucial because it provides extra protection to swimmers, ensuring that rivers, inland lochs, and seas with this status (granted by the Scottish Government) are regularly monitored to safeguard against health risks like sewage pollution. Through our intervention, the Scottish Government agreed to make the application process more consistent and transparent. The improvements agreed will remove unnecessary burdens on those wishing to propose a bathing water, ultimately making it easier to protect these treasured recreational spots.

This is just one example of change resulting from our engagement with individuals and local community groups. You can read more about our casework on the investigations page of our website.

If you would like to share an environmental concern with ESS or have any questions about the process, please contact our Investigations, Standards and Compliance team by emailing representations@environmentalstandards.scot.

If you are interested in organising an engagement event with ESS, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact our engagement team at enquiries@environmentalstandards.scot for more information. This summer, our new Strategy will go out for public consultation, where members of the public can submit their feedback.

Follow our socials for more information on how you can get involved:

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LinkedIn: Environmental Standards Scotland

Environmental Standards Scotland