On the 25^th anniversary of the signature of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, this article explores the neglect and suspicion of its values in the new foundations of English environmental law, the otherwise sometimes admirable Environment Act 2021. Examining the journey into the Environment Act, its provisions on consultation, and processes around its implementation, the author concludes that the arrangements for participation are flawed along at least four parameters: general quality and orderliness; information and evidence; inclusion; and impact. An exploration of the Act highlights the importance and the limitations of legally protecting rights to participate in environmental decision-making. The neglect of or hostility towards participation that is apparent from this analysis is, sometimes explicitly, part of a broader suspicion of legally constrained decision-making processes, and presents concerns to scholars and practitioners beyond environmental law.

中文翻译：

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1998 年奥胡斯公约和 2021 年环境法：侵蚀公众参与

25^日在《关于在环境问题上获取信息、公众参与决策和诉诸司法的奥胡斯公约》签署周年纪念日，本文探讨了在英国环境法的新基础中对其价值的忽视和怀疑，否则有时令人钦佩《2021 年环境法》。审视了《环境法》的制定过程、其协商规定及其实施过程，作者得出结论认为，参与安排至少在四个方面存在缺陷：总体质量和有序性；信息和证据；包容；和影响。对该法案的探索突出了法律保护参与环境决策的权利的重要性和局限性。