Environmental information and public participation The public
needs to be properly informed and empowered to participate in
political debates at all levels, as well being empowered to
change their own way of living. Professor Jacqueline McGlade,
EEA Executive Director 2O years ago, when the Inter-Governmental
Panel on Climate Change was first set up, climate change was the
realm of scientists and statisticians, and still at the
periphery of the public consciousness. Today it is the most
pressing environmental question the world has faced; we are now
beginning to appreciate the enormity of the challenge ahead; and
climate change sits at the top of the political agenda. The
Aarhus Convention, based as it is on public involvement and
access to environmental information, is a cornerstone in our
ability to respond to this challenge. When we consider the
strategic challenges we face it becomes clear that fundamental
changes are needed to the way we live. In order to bring about
these changes, the public needs to be