SCOTLAND’S legal system is breaking international environmental and human rights law due to the extremely high costs of legal action, the UN’s  Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) confirmed today.

The decision of the UNECE’s Aarhus Meeting of the Parties confirmed a lack of progress in meeting the requirements of the Aarhus Convention, which guarantees everyone in Scotland the right to go to court or an independent body to defend the environment.

The decision will call for reform as a matter of urgency with a plan of action, including a time schedule to be submitted to it by 2022.