The Role of the Internet in Public Participation for Environmental Protection and Management

With impressive expansion and proliferation of telecommunication and computer technologies, decision makers, advocates, and the broader public are turning to the Internet to obtain information, share information, coordinate campaigns, and engage in policy and project-specific discourses. The Internet is changing how decisions are made and who is involved in the process. Therefore, it is vital to consider the role of Internet in comparison to other telecommunication means and see the fundamental differences. This revolution has spread to the management and protection of the environment and environmental problems in the 21st century. The first part of this study will explore the importance of information sharing, public participation and transparency as fundamental principles from the perspective of international environmental law. It also focuses with an overview of the types of the Internet-based tools and ways that promote public access to information and public participation in environmental issues which led to more transparency in the decision making processes and also clarification of the important decisions for the potentially injurious projects on the environment. We will also briefly consider the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet-based tools and their role in dissemination of information. We also review the different Internet-based approaches for sharing information the ways through which Internet can bring about more democratic environmental policy-making processes. This article closes with some thoughts on future developments of the Internet and the extent to which it can engage civil society in the protection of the environment.