🔎 What’s going on?
The Environmental bill is one of 22 bills introduced by the Queen, which sets out what the UK’s green standards and environmental protection laws will look like after Brexit.
👊 So let’s break it down...
A ‘watchdog’ Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) will be created, with powers to take businesses, public bodies and the government to court over any breaches of environmental law. Including the government’s target of meeting net-zero emissions by 2050. Next, legally binding environmental improvement targets have been announced across four areas: air quality, biodiversity, water quality, resource and waste.
Let’s explore these. Poor air quality is harmful to our health, targets to reducing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is very welcome. Creating a Nature Recovery Network (planting wild plants on road verges and installing green roofs) can do wonders for restoring declining biodiversity. Delivering the clean water pledge made in the 25 Year Environment Plan set out earlier this year would ensure sustainable water management. Introducing a bottle deposit scheme and a consistent approach to recycling along with shifting the burden to businesses to take responsibility for their waste would transform how waste is treated.
❓Why should I care?
The majority of environmental law in the UK comes from the European Union. In the event of Brexit, we face two scenarios: follow Norway’s model and stay in the single market or we don’t. Staying in the single market (soft Brexit) means we will retain some EU laws but not all, for example, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Common Fisheries Policy, Birds and Habitats policy and Bathing Water Directive. If we leave the single market (hard Brexit) then it’s completely up to the UK government to decide which EU laws we keep or not. The good news is regardless of what happens with Brexit, we are still bound to all international laws - e.g Paris Agreement.
🚦Where do we need to be?
1) Continue maintaining EU environmental laws.
2) Set legally binding targets earlier than 2022 (i.e 2020) and bring forward the date to meet the targets (i.e 2025) rather the 15 years that’s currently proposed. Meaning the OEP cannot take anyone to court until 2037.
3) Avoid turning bills into loopholes for economic gain - e.g. ‘Biodiversity net gain’ (moving your local nature/forest at convenience for housing developers). Instead ensure that nature which stores carbon already is not destroyed (ancient forests, peatlands and woodlands) but restored and protected.
👤 What can I do about it?
Use your vote - at local and national elections. This way your MP can represent your views in Parliament.