Wednesday 10 November 2021

The long-delayed and much-anticipated Environment Act has passed

The recent passing of the long-delayed and much anticipated Environment Act is welcomed.

The new legislation will help the current and future UK Governments make some progress in tackling the climate and nature emergencies. Campaigning for the legislation took more than 3 years but finally Royal Assent has been received.

The inclusion of a legally-binding 2030 species abundance target has the potential to boost efforts to reverse the decline in wildlife and will put the UK on the path towards protecting 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030.

The new requirement for planning applications to provide Biodiversity Net Gain will encourage developers to put nature at the heart of their work whilst Local Nature Recovery Strategies will create the framework for a national system of interconnected sites for nature.

However, regretfully, the Environment Act does not live up to its promise to be “a world leading piece of legislation” as claimed by the Government.

Plans for the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) have been improved by Ministers but the Secretary of State’s ability to provide it with “guidance”, even where cases affect Ministers themselves, drastically undermines its independence.

In addition, the Government resisted all efforts to put legally binding interim targets within the Environment Act and the duty for local authorities to follow Local Nature Recovery Strategies plans is weak.

It is also vital that Government agencies like Natural England and the Environment Agency are given the necessary funding to facilitate their role in delivering on the Environment Act (they have both received substantial cuts in their funding over the last 10 years or so).

The Government must use every power it has to tackle the inseparable climate and nature emergencies. At COP26 the UK promoted itself as a global leader on climate action but, despite containing valuable new commitments, the new Environment Act fails to live up to that promise.


💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature


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