Carole Excell

Acting Director, Environmental Democracy Practice

Bio

Carole Excell is the Acting Director of World Resources Institute's Environmental Democracy Practice and the Project Director for The Access Initiative, working on access to information, public participation and access to justice issues around the world.

Previously she was the Coordinator for the Freedom of Information Unit of the Cayman Islands Government in charge of ensuring the development and effective implementation of the Cayman Islands Freedom of Information Law. She was in charge of developing an implementation plan for the Cayman Islands, creation of an information manager’s network, development of appropriate IT systems and appropriate administrative regulations. She also worked with The Carter Center as Field Representative in Jamaica working on their Access to Information Project. As part of the Carter Center Access to Information project she was involved in the development of materials, conduct of research and analysis on legal and policy issues associated with the right to information and acted as the Secretariat to the Volunteer Attorneys Panel, a panel of lawyers who provide pro bono services to civil society organizations and indigent persons.

Carole Excell is an Attorney-at-law with a LLB from the University of the West Indies and Certificate of Legal Education from the Norman Manley Law School, Mona. She has a Masters Degree in Environmental Law from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. She has seven years working experience working for the Government of Jamaica on environmental and planning issues both at the Natural Resources Conservation Authority and then at its successor the National Environment and Planning Agency.

Blogs

Death of Honduran Activist Berta Cáceres Underscores the Need for Environmental Democracy
by Carole Excell - March 08, 2016
Berta Cáceres famously fought against the Agua Zarca Dam, which would have obstructed the Gualcarque River, a source of food and water for local communities. Her murder is tragic, senseless and unfortunately, indicative of more systemic governance problems.
In Order to Solve Pollution, We Must First Solve Governance Challenges
by Carole Excell - September 28, 2015
Solving the challenges of air and water pollution will require more than the adoption of top-down solutions or greener technology. It will require countries to address key governance challenges, like inaccessible information and a lack of public participation.
Crossing the Digital Divide to Protect the Environment
by Stephanie Ratté, Carole Excell and Lauren Williams - December 22, 2014
Roughly 1.3 billion people around the world lack electricity, and more than 3 billion live in rural areas that may experience poor internet connectivity.

How can we ensure that digital tools benefit the communities that oftentimes need them the most?
New Tool Reveals How Jamaica’s Development Projects Impact People and Planet
by Carole Excell and Stephanie Ratté - November 20, 2014
A new tool from WRI’s Access Initiative and the Jamaica Environment Trust, shows where recently approved or proposed development projects overlap with protected areas, fisheries, forest reserves, and other areas important for Jamaica's environment and public health.
UNEP’s New Access to Information Policy Falls Short of True Transparency
by Lalanath de Silva and Carole Excell - June 23, 2014
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released its first-ever access to information policy last week. The pilot policy—which will be revised after its first year—aims to “enhance transparency and openness” in the organization’s work. But despite its noble aspirations, the policy falls far short of providing true transparency.
Struggles in East Kalimantan Underscore Need for Better Access to Environmental Information
by Carole Excell and Caitlin O’Donnell - March 17, 2014
More than 70 percent of Samarinda’s land (the capital of Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province) is allocated to mining concessions, and little information is provided to citizens on companies’ compliance to safety and environmental health rules.

In the hopes of preventing mining fatalities, the Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM), a group of Indonesian NGOs and community organizations, requested information from the Indonesian government to determine what companies were doing to mitigate mines’ environmental and health impacts. This process prompted the STRIPE project, which will focus on building strong civil society coalitions to advocate for corporate disclosure of information.
Open Government Partnership: It’s Time for Deeper Engagement with the Environment Sector
by Carole Excell and Consuelo Fernandez - November 21, 2013
The Open Government Partnership (OGP)—which held its most recent summit about three weeks ago—has made tremendous progress in its two years of existence. The OGP, a voluntary partnership between governments and civil society, aims to make governments more open, accountable, and responsive to citizens. Discussions at the summit made it clear that the partnership is already demonstrating impact. Sixty-two governments have now joined OGP, making 1,115 commitments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

The Summit provided a real sense that there’s a growing community who really “gets” the importance of open government to meeting development goals. Yet there was still a gap in the discourse in one particular area—the environment.
New Jakarta Declaration Aims to Strengthen Rights to Environmental Information in Asia
by Carole Excell - May 09, 2013
Increased industrialization in Asia has created countless hurdles for communities to protect themselves from pollution. Important government information—such as the amount of pollutants being discharged by nearby factories or results from local air and water quality monitoring—still isn’t readily accessible in user-friendly formats. This practice often leaves the public entirely out of decision-making processes on issues like regulating pollution or expanding industrial factories. In many cases, the public lack the information they need to understand and shield themselves from harmful environmental, social, and health impacts.

This state of affairs recently prompted a group of government officials, NGOs, local community representatives, and academics to demand government action to change the status quo. Last week, representatives from China, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Thailand released the Jakarta Declaration for Strengthening the Right to Environmental Information for People and the Environment. The Declaration urges governments to improve access to information on air and water quality pollution in Asia—and offers a detailed road map on how to do so.

The Declaration stemmed from a meeting organized by WRI’s the Access Initiative and the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, held last week in Jakarta. Representatives will now bring the list of findings and recommendations to government officials in their home countries and ask for commitments on increasing transparency.
An Action Plan for Environmental Justice in Latin America and the Caribbean
by Carole Excell - April 15, 2013
UPDATE, 4/19/13: Fourteen Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries adopted an ambitious Plan of Action to improve access rights on April 17, 2013. Read WRI's press release for more details about the Plan of Action for the LAC Principle 10 Regional Declaration.

Without the right laws and safeguards in place, development can come at the expense of the environment and local communities. This point is especially evident in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Newspapers across the region regularly document conflicts over land and natural resource use, hydroelectric power development, oil exploitation, expansion of agriculture into virgin forests, and the disruption of indigenous practices.

Many of these conflicts occur because countries lack strong laws and practices that encourage the public’s access to information and early participation in government decision-making. Without these laws in place, citizens can’t legally obtain information on projects like proposed oil wells or highways—or engage in the decision-making processes about developing and approving these projects. Governments can then make decisions without considering the impact on local citizens. The resulting social, environmental, or health costs often fall disproportionately on the affected communities. (See our video, "Sunita," for more information on the need for access to information laws).

But the situation in the LAC region could be poised to change, depending on what happens at a meeting this week. Representatives from 13 countries and two observer countries will meet with civil society groups in Guadalajara, Mexico, to finalize a two-year action plan on implementing the LAC Principle 10 Regional Declaration. If attendees come up with a strong plan, several LAC countries will come closer to adopting a plan for improving environmental justice and public participation rights across the region.
Expanding Environmental Democracy: Latin American Countries Move Forward with Principle 10
by Carole Excell - November 30, 2012
A number of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries recently took a huge step forward in ensuring environmental democracy for their citizens. At a UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) meeting in early November, these countries agreed on a road map to ensure full implementation of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration.

Principle 10, otherwise known as the environmental democracy principle, affirms that all citizens have a say in the environmental and development decisions that directly impact them. In one of the few bright spots of the Rio+20 sustainable development conference this past June, 10 LAC countries—Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay—adopted and publicly signed the Principle 10 Declaration. This month’s ECLAC meeting in Santiago, Chile marked the first gathering of Government representatives after this historic Declaration. Most importantly, governments adopted an agreed-upon road map defining a process to draft a Principle 10 Action Plan, which will be submitted for adoption in early April 2013.

External Publications

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Carole Excell

Death of Honduran Activist Berta Cáceres Underscores the Need for Environmental Democracy

In Order to Solve Pollution, We Must First Solve Governance Challenges

Crossing the Digital Divide to Protect the Environment

New Tool Reveals How Jamaica’s Development Projects Impact People and Planet

UNEP’s New Access to Information Policy Falls Short of True Transparency

Struggles in East Kalimantan Underscore Need for Better Access to Environmental Information

Open Government Partnership: It’s Time for Deeper Engagement with the Environment Sector

New Jakarta Declaration Aims to Strengthen Rights to Environmental Information in Asia

An Action Plan for Environmental Justice in Latin America and the Caribbean

Expanding Environmental Democracy: Latin American Countries Move Forward with Principle 10

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