The Community Environmental Rights Hub: Your Rights to Clean Air, Safe Water and a Healthy Local Environment.
Living in a healthy local environment is vital for our wellbeing.
A healthy environment means having clean air, safe water and adequate sanitation, a litter and waste-free environment, a safe climate, a peaceful neighbourhood free of excessive noise, safe places to work, study and play, and healthy biodiversity and ecosystems.
For many, environmental rights can feel out of reach, and their environment can feel unsafe, particularly those living in communities impacted by social exclusion, disadvantage and inequality, or those in vulnerable situations.
In this guide for people or community groups who want to protect their environmental rights, we will:
- Explain what environmental rights you have in your local community
- Help you understand what your local authority and the government are legally required to do to protect these rights
- Give you the tools to use this knowledge to speak up, push back and demand a safe and healthy environment
- Signpost you to the relevant public bodies to take the first steps to resolve problems
The guide is divided into easily digestible sections based on the environmental issues that we see come up most frequently in our legal advice clinics.
Click the heading links below to explore the different sections of the Hub.
(Last Updated – March 2026)
What are Your Environmental Rights?
A number of different rights relate to the environment.
These environmental rights come from both national and international law. They include the right to health, the right to bodily integrity, the right to a healthy environment, the right to life, and the right to respect for private, family life and the home.
Read the short and simple guide in full to find out more.
Enforcing Your Rights: Step-by-Step Guide
When faced with an environmental problem such as littering, dumping, air or water quality that you believe is in breach of your rights or is a health risk, there are steps you can take to address it.
In the full guide linked above, you will find simple step-by-step guidelines that can help you to get started.
Your Rights on Littering and Illegal Dumping
Littering and the illegal dumping can have a significant impact on individual health and community wellbeing.
Not only is waste unsightly in a community, it can cause or contribute to health issues such as infectious diseases or respiratory issues. In particular, dump sites can become breeding grounds for rodents that are linked to a variety of increased health risks.
The right to live in an environment free of litter and illegal waste is enshrined in local, national, and international law. To find out more, read the simple guide in full linked above.
Your Rights to Clean Air
Air pollution is the presence of very small particles and gases in the air which can cause harm if you breath them in. It can be in the form of odour, smoke, dust, or industrial emissions.
Air pollution causes more than 300,000 premature deaths in the EU each year, with short- and long-term exposure increasing the risk of developmental delay, cardiovascular disease, strokes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
While there is no standalone right to clean air, you do have a right to require the State to meet its legally binding standards on air quality. To find out more, read the simple guide in full linked above.
Your Rights on Noise Pollution
Noise pollution is more than just an annoyance issue – it can impact your mental and physical health and your overall quality of life. Long-term exposure to excessive environmental noise can interfere with your daily activities, cause sleep disturbance and stress.
Noise is caused by a number of activities, with the most common sources in Ireland being from road traffic, railways, and aircraft. Other causes are construction, factories, and domestic noise, such as from neighbours partying.
You have the right to peaceful enjoyment of your property, including being free from excessive noise. To find out more, read the simple guide in full linked above.
Your Rights to Clean Water
Water is a precious natural resource and essential to human life.
People can become ill from drinking inadequately treated water, and vulnerable people, such as the young and the elderly, are particularly at risk.
The right to clean water is protected in Ireland under national and EU laws that place duties on the State to achieve ‘good’ water status and safe drinking water standards.
To find out more, read the simple guide in full linked above.