Environment Bill
“My Ministers remain committed to protecting and
improving the environment for future generations. For the first
time, environmental principles will be enshrined in law. Measures
will be introduced to improve air and water quality, tackle
plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can
thrive. Legislation will also create new legally-binding
environmental improvement targets. A new, world-leading
independent regulator will be established in statute to
scrutinise environmental policy and law, investigate complaints
and take enforcement action. ”
The purpose of the Bill is to:
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Transform our domestic environmental governance based on
environmental principles; codify a comprehensive framework for
legally binding targets; and the establishment of a new Office
for Environmental Protection.
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Increase local powers to tackle sources of air
pollution.
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Improve biodiversity by working with developers.
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Extend producer responsibility, ensure a consistent
approach to recycling and introduce deposit return
schemes.
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Introduce charges for specified single use plastic
items.
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Secure long-term, resilient water and wastewater
services, including through powers to direct water companies to
work together to meet current and future demand.
The main benefits of the Bill would
be:
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Improving and protecting the environment with new
domestic governance, including a world-leading environmental
watchdog.
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Improving air quality by fighting air pollution so that
we have cleaner air to breathe.
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Ensuring we can manage our precious water resources in a
changing climate.
The main elements of the Bill are:
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Establishing new long term domestic environmental
governance based on: environmental principles; a comprehensive
framework for legally-binding targets, a long term plan to
deliver environmental improvements; and, a new Office for
Environmental Protection.
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Improving air quality by increasing local powers to
address sources of air pollution, enabling local authorities to
tackle emissions from burning coal and wood, and bringing
forward powers for Government to mandate recalls of vehicles
when they do not meet relevant legal emission standards.
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Restoring and enhancing nature by implementing mandatory
biodiversity protections into the planning system, ensuring new
houses aren’t built at the expense of nature. We will improve
protection for our natural habitats through Local Nature
Recovery Strategies and give communities a greater say in the
protection of local trees.
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Preserving our stock of material resources by minimising
waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a
circular economy. These measures include extended producer
responsibility, a consistent approach to recycling, tackling
waste crime, introducing deposit return schemes and more
effective litter enforcement.
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Introducing charges for specified single use plastic
items. This will build on the success of the carrier bag charge
and incentivise consumers to choose other, more sustainable
ways of taking shopping home.
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Managing water sustainably through more effective
legislation to secure longterm, resilient water and wastewater
services. This will include powers to direct water companies to
work together to meet current and future demand for water,
making planning more robust, and ensuring we are better able to
maintain water supplies.
Territorial extent and application
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Most of the Bill would extend and apply to England, with
a small number of provisions extending to Northern Ireland
only. Around half of the Bill's provisions extend and apply to
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Environmental policy is a largely devolved matter
(subject to a small number of areas that are reserved).
Key facts
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On June 5 2019 YouGov poll the British public placed
climate change among the most important three issues facing the
country (Brexit first, Healthcare second).
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The Government is already taking strong action to be the
first generation to leave the environment in a better state
that we found it, as set out in our 25 year Environment Plan.
We are the first major economy to legislate to reach net-zero
carbon emissions by 2050, and will be hosting the 26th session
of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) in 2020.
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In 2015 the Government introduced a 5p charge on single
use carrier bags (reducing sales of single use bags in the big
supermarkets by 90 per cent);
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In 2019 we introduced a ban on microbeads in cosmetic and
personal care products; plastic straws, drinks stirrers, and
plastic stemmed cotton buds in England (coming into force April
2020), following overwhelming public support.
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Emissions of nitrogen oxides have fallen by over a
quarter since 2010.
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Published in January, our Clean Air Strategy has been
praised by the World Health Organisation as “an example for the
rest of the world to follow” and aims to halve the harm to
human health from air pollution in the UK by 2030.
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We have pledged to plant 11 million new trees and one
million urban trees.
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We have strengthened protections for ancient woodlands,
veteran trees and other irreplaceable habitats in the revised
national planning policy framework and provided almost £6
million to the new Northern Forest.