Environment taking a back seat again

 

Reposted from Edie.

An all-too-familiar story!

UK making ‘good progress’ against fewer than one-third of key environmental policy commitments

The UK Government is only driving good progress towards 27% of the 43 targets it set between 2021 and 2023 to improve nature for future generations.

 

Sarah George

 

Pictured: Nature in the Cotswolds, England.

These are some of the sobering headline findings of the latest analysis from the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), the UK’s post-Brexit environment watchdog.

The OEP assessed progress towards 43 key targets included in the 2021 Environment Act and the 2023 Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). Many targets were set for 2030. Issues covered include tree planting, water pollution, air pollution and public access to nature.

While the Labour-led Government did update the EIP in late 2025, the OEP did not have sufficient time to assess progress against the refreshed targets.

OEP chair Dame Glenys Stacy said: “While we have seen more progress in this year than in the previous reporting period, it was not the step-change needed.

“The Government must now decide whether or not it is going to meet those targets. What happens now matters.”

Concerning trends

Of the 43 targets and commitments which the OEP assessed progress towards, 13 were set under the Environment Act. Delivery progress towards just four of these targets was deemed “good” over the past year.

While a higher proportion of targets and commitments show good progress and a lower proportion show limited progress, compared with last year, the UK is not on track to halt nature’s decline overall.

The OEP raised particular concerns about sluggish progress in reducing residual waste from homes and businesses, and in protecting Britain’s most sensitive and biodiverse marine habitats.

Of the EIP 2023 targets assessed, the watchdog did see delivery progress improve in fields including clean air and climate change mitigation. This is partly due to the ongoing uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and the end of coal-fired power generation.

The OEP also tracked improvements in human exposure to chemicals and pesticides.

However, the watchdog concluded that public access to and engagement with nature is on the decline. The body emphasised the importance of improving engagement in childhood as a priority.

The OEP also tracked “limited” progress in adapting the UK to the physical impacts of climate change and extreme weather. The estimated number of properties at risk of surface water flooding has increased, along with a decrease in the condition of flood or coastal risk management assets. And wildfire incidents continued to increase year-over-year.

The UK Government’s climate advisors last year classed one-quarter (26%) of adaptation outcomes as insufficient – the highest proportion to date. All outcomes related to health and well-being are, concerningly, classed as insufficient.

Opportunities for change

The OEP’s key recommendations to policymakers this year remain unchanged from last year.

They are:

• Develop and publish a comprehensive circular economy strategy and framework
• Set out clear mechanisms for reconciling competing demands for land and sea
• Ensure that nature-friendly farming plans and incentives are effective and joined-up
• Maximise the contribution of protected sites for nature
• Accelerate action to protect and restore the marine environment

On the first two points, the Government is due to publish a Circular Economy Strategy, Land Use Framework and Food Strategy later this year. All three of these packages have been delayed from 2025.

With regards to nature-friendly farming, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds last week confirmed that the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) will be reformed in 2026 following consultations with the agriculture sector.