It isn't difficult to sign your name on a piece of paper. But public participation in environmental decisionmaking won't come from eloquent rhetoric and promises. Dangerous chemicals, lead in petrol and inefficient energy won't disappear when the ink has dried on the protocols in Aarhus. Of course, this is just the beginning. While documents stating commitment to more public rights have been signed, environmental activists that raise their concerns are regularly flung into jail or harassed by the police.
Deadly chemicals continue to be sprayed onto the fields of Central and Eastern Europe.
They flow into streams and rivers, destroying the balance of the ecological system, while the region's cities huddle under a haze of smog from leaded petrol. In many cities, government subsidies make it economical for families to keep several inefficient heaters on rather than try and conserve energy. While the big decisionmakers at the top have done their stuff, environmental trainers can help get the message across to the grassroots - the public, the businesses, the civil servants and the citizens' organisations. After all, most people are in the dark about what happened at Aarhus. To pass the word on, specific courses must be developed for each sector.