Children's Access to Justice for Environmental Rights | Sweden

This report looks at whether the laws and policies in Sweden make it possible for children to access their environmental rights. 

Sweden’s Constitution sets a goal for public institutions to promote sustainable development leading to a good environment for present and future generations. Public access to the natural environment also enjoys explicit constitutional protection. However environmental rights more generally are not protected within the Swedish Constitution so there is no strong constitutional basis for environmental legal action. Sweden’s main legislative framework on the environment and sustainable development is the Environmental Code. The Environmental Code also details the types of environmental offences and the appropriate remedies for them, and Sweden has a special system of environmental courts.

Swedish law does not distinguish, in many cases, between the rights of children and those of adults (eg. within the context of rights to freedom of expression, to protest, to forming associations and accessing information). Sweden has incorporated the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) into Swedish law - meaning that the rights stated in the CRC are enforceable at the domestic level.  

Sweden also has an outdoor recreation policy and the environment has been an integral part of the curriculum since 1969. 

This report was published in October 2022 and developed with the support of Anders Bengtsson. It was finalised based on any feedback from the State. If you would like to learn more, please read the full report below. If you would like to discuss the findings in the report further, or feel the information in the report will be useful in your own campaigning and practice then please contact us..