Participatory Democracy in Environmental Practice in Light of Fiqhi Maxims

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Public Law, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Public Law, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The right to a healthy environment clearly reflects fundamental values such as life, health, and an adequate standard of living, and it is closely connected with sustainable development and with the interests of present and future generations. Contemporary environmental governance therefore requires informed, structured, and participatory public involvement. Citizen engagement and the activity of environmental non-governmental organizations together provide comparatively low-cost, comprehensive, and socially legitimate means of developing environmental culture and improving environmental protection. Using a descriptive-analytical method, this article accordingly examines participatory democracy as the foundation of environmental rights and analyzes the capacity of citizens and civil-society organizations as non-state actors. It further argues that the growing complexity of environmental problems obliges public authorities to share environmental information and to enable collective knowledge. Participation becomes truly effective through access to information, environmental education, meaningful involvement in decision-making, and access to justice, including remedies and compensation. These modern procedural rights also accord well with fiqhi maxims such as no harm, destruction, causation, and respect for property.

Keywords

Main Subjects


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