The government has announced a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) to be completed by the end of the year to set out how to deliver its legally binding targets.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it will develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore the natural environment with delivery plans to meet each of the Environment Act targets.
This will focus on cleaning up our waterways, reducing waste across the economy, planting more trees, improving air quality, and halting the decline in species by 2030, the government said.
Defra said the review will engage stakeholders across the environment and nature, farming, resources, waste and water sectors, and work with businesses, local authorities, and civil society across the country.
Nature underpins everything – the economy, food, health and society – but we stand at a moment in history when nature needs us to defend it.
Commenting on the review, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed, said: “Nature is dying. Britain is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Our animal species face extinction.
“Our precious landscapes are in decline. Our rivers, lakes and seas are awash with sewage and pollution. Air pollution continues to plague our towns and cities.
“Nature underpins everything – the economy, food, health and society – but we stand at a moment in history when nature needs us to defend it.
“That is why today we begin to chart a new course. Working with civil society, business and local government, we will develop an ambitious programme to turn the tide and save nature.”
The announcement coincided with the government publishing the Environmental Improvement Plan Annual Progress Report.
The Annual Progress report included this stacked bar chart which shows the percentage of indicator components within each goal area that have been assessed as improving, showing little or no change, deteriorating or have not yet been assessed against the stated goal.
Earlier this year, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) annual progress report found the UK government remains “largely off track” to meet its environmental ambitions and must speed up and scale its efforts.
The OEP found that there is a lack of actions focused on a circular economy and resource productivity, and a greater focus on these measures would bring economic benefits while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and risks from chemicals.
The report identified several factors the OEP said are impeding progress, including that “key policies, strategies and regulatory frameworks” are not developed or delivered after being announced, which creates uncertainty, presents barriers to progress, and results in missed opportunities.
