Climate justice is a movement which recognises that climate change has a greater negative impact on the most vulnerable members of society, despite the fact that they are the least responsible for the emissions that have generated the crisis. All citizens have the right to environmental justice when the authorities do not comply with existing environmental laws and endanger public health.
Unfortunately, this kind of negligence happens very often in Romania, and many times big polluters are given priority over citizens according to the legislation. Theoretically, the Romanian Constitution guarantees citizens the right to a healthy environment. Legislation has been adopted at the national as well as EU level to ensure that this fundamental right is respected. Romania has largely transposed European law on environmental protection, but there are implementation problems generated mainly by the lack of a coherent and effective sanctions system.
We have discovered this in the many cases we have brought to court. We have fought for the rights of citizens in coal mining regions who are facing illegal expropriations and deforestation, noise, dust, poor water quality or damage to their homes because of the expansion of coal quarries or because coal-fired power plants exceed the legal emission limits. These factors, taken individually as well as cumulatively, result in the low quality of life in these areas. The rights to a clean environment, property and dignity are repeatedly violated in the name of “energy security”.
In order to continue the fight for the respect of fundamental human rights, we need more specialists in environmental law. Currently, there are few lawyers in Romania that specialise in this topic, and they are overwhelmed by the large number of cases.
We want to increase the interest of students and professionals in environmental law by creating a legal clinic where they will learn the law and contribute to building court cases. At the clinic we will monitor industrial projects in the energy field with the potential to endanger the environment and we will bring to court cases in which there are violations of environmental legislation. Strengthening the justice system in this way is necessary to ensure that in the process of energy transition, the citizens are a priority before the law and their quality of life is respected.
