The Environment Bill: the long view

Poor air quality, declining biodiversity, plastic waste and climate change are significant long-term challenges which will require concerted effort from government and investment over the long-term to make the necessary improvements. Politicians are in the public glare as people demand immediate action to what essentially are deep-rooted systemic problems that transcend political cycles; a position made harder by declining levels of trust in politics. Additionally, the UK is currently not on track to meet the legally-binding net-zero carbon targets set; if this is not addressed with some urgency, it may very well result in higher economic costs. It’s against this backdrop that the Government published its Environment Bill this week

The Bill is a significant undertaking, comprising eight parts (plus 20 schedules and runs to 232 pages; plus there are 208 pages of explanatory memoranda) and has been developed at pace, in part to fill the environmental governance