- Five legally binding principles will guide future
policymaking to protect the environment.
- Ministers will ensure the environment is front and centre of
all government work.
- Principles will help us build back greener and leave the
environment in a better state for future generations.
Ministers will put protecting the environment at the heart of
future policy, under new plans set out today (Wednesday 10
March).
The landmark Environment Bill will create a duty on ministers
across Whitehall to be guided by five internationally recognised
environmental principles when making policy – protecting the
environment for the next generation and demonstrating to the
world that the environment is at the front and centre of the
Government’s work, ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate
Change Conference.
Environment Secretary said:
“We want to embed the environment in the design, development and
delivery of the Government’s work.
“Our environmental principles are essential, and will ensure that
ministers across Whitehall are guided to not just protect the
environment, but tackle problems at their origin.
“This will deliver our pledge to leave the environment in a
better state for future generations.”
This legally binding statement will introduce five environmental
principles, committing the government to building back
greener:
These principles are:
- The integration principle is the principle
which states that policy-makers should look for opportunities to
embed environmental protection in other fields of policy that
have impacts on the environment.
- The prevention principle means that
government policy should aim to prevent, reduce or mitigate harm.
- The rectification at source principle means
that if damage to the environment cannot be prevented it should
be tackled at its origin.
- The polluter pays principle is the principle
that those who cause pollution or damage to the environment
should be responsible for mitigation or
compensation.
- The precautionary principle states that
where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental
damage, a lack of scientific certainty shall not be used as a
reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent
environmental degradation.
There is no pathway to tackling climate change that does not
involve the recovery and protection of nature. As hosts of COP26
this year, President of the G7 and a key player in the CBD COP15,
the UK is leading the climate change agenda and the environmental
principles will help to bring government, society and the world
Together for our Planet.
The Government is consulting on the draft policy statement on the
five environmental principles which sets out how they should be
interpreted and proportionately applied.
The policy statement will guide ministers across Government
departments towards opportunities to prevent environmental damage
whilst supporting innovation and sustainable development, helping
the Government in its aim to deliver the most ambitious
environmental programme of any country on earth.
Defra will support government departments in understanding and
applying the requirements of the new duty in their policymaking.
Defra will provide information workshops and training, and seek
to incorporate the principles into existing government policy
guidance documents, such as the Treasury’s Green Book.
ENDS
- Due to exceptional pressure on the parliamentary timetable as
a result of Covid-19, the Environment Bill will be carried over
into the Second Parliamentary Session. The Government remains
fully committed to the Environment Bill and key work on
implementing the Bill’s measures continues at pace.
