Environmental targets consultation
Why are environmental targets being proposed?
Environmental targets, a key commitment in our Environment Act, will help deliver the government’s vision of leaving the environment in a better state than it was found and will drive forward ambitious environmental improvements by successive governments that protect and enhance our natural world.
The targets form part of the government’s response to the clear scientific case, and growing public demand, for a step-change in environmental protection. Environmental targets will require action across the economy and will provide long-term certainty to businesses and society. This will stimulate innovation and economic growth and will create and support green jobs across the country.
What targets are being proposed?
The Environment Act 2021 requires the government to set at least one long- term target in each of the following areas: air quality; water; biodiversity; and resource efficiency and waste reduction. It also requires targets to be set for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and species abundance.
We are proposing targets that we think will deliver environmental outcomes in the areas where there are some of the greatest problems. This is why we are considering targets beyond the legal minimum that we are required to set, with additional proposals on: biodiversity; water; marine; and woodland cover.
What happens next?
The government has developed proposals for each of the target areas and would like to hear feedback through a public consultation. Following this, the government will consider the views when making the laws needed to put the targets into place, before presenting them to Parliament by 31 October 2022.
How can you get involved?
We welcome views on the proposed environmental targets from any individual, group, organisation, or business. To ensure your views are considered, we recommend providing feedback via Citizens Space. A PDF version can also be found via the link which encloses details on how you can respond by email or post. The consultation opened for responses on 16/03/2022 and will close on 11/05/2022.
Biodiversity targets – overview
What is the problem?
‘Biodiversity’ refers to the variety of animal and plant life that surrounds us. Many species groups show long-term declines in abundance and distribution, with some rare species pushed to extinction. This is a global trend. There are many reasons for this, but loss or degradation of habitat is known to be a critical factor for a number of insect and bird groups.
We value our species in their own right, and they also contribute to our wellbeing and economic prosperity. Biodiversity loss means that ecosystems are less resilient to natural disasters and the effects of climate change.
What are the proposed targets?
The government wants to introduce targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss in England, by reducing threats to species and increasing the amount of wildlife-rich habitat. The government is proposing targets:
- to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, and increase species abundance by at least 10% by 2042, compared to 2030;
- to reduce species extinction risk by 2042, compared to 2022; and
- to create or restore in excess of 500,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042, compared to 2022.
How will the targets address the problem?
Policies to deliver the species abundance targets will need bold action to protect and enhance biodiversity.
Setting a target to reduce species extinction risk will also capture changes in populations of very rare plant and animal species, as well as more common species, to complement the species abundance targets.
The habitats target will support the delivery of both the species abundance targets and the species extinction risk target as well as delivering wider benefits, including helping to improve water quality and to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Marine Protected Area target – overview
What is the problem?
Our seas are home to a huge variety of marine habitats and species, but biodiversity has declined due to pressure from human activity and climate change. This makes ecosystems less resilient, including to natural disasters and climate change, and has impacted on fish stocks.
What is the proposed target?
The government wants to do more to protect the seas around us and restore the marine wildlife that lives in them. Whilst there are existing targets aimed at improving the marine environment, there is no time-bound target for the condition of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This is crucial to restoring the health and biodiversity of marine ecosystems as our MPAs are our must precious areas for marine life.
There are around 150 different types of plant and animal species and their habitats which are designated as “features” and protected in MPAs. The government is proposing that 70% of the designated features of MPAs be in a favourable condition by 2042, with the remainder in a recovering condition.
How will the target address the problem?
The target will improve the condition of our MPAs by helping to ensure they are properly managed to stop damaging activities occurring within them. Over time the protected species and habitats will recover, ultimately ensuring our seas and oceans are healthier and more resilient in future.
Water targets – overview
What is the problem?
The quality of water in our rivers, streams, lakes, and estuaries is affected by lots of pressures from human activity. These pressures include pollution from agriculture, wastewater, and abandoned mines. Climate change and a growing population are placing further strains on water supply. What we are proposing will complement what we are doing to tackle storm overflows; we are the first government to set out our expectation that water companies must take steps to significantly reduce storm overflows through our policy statement to Ofwat.
These issues harm the health of our waterways and the wildlife that live in them, impair the ecosystem services these waters provide, and can impact recreational opportunities such as fishing and swimming.
What are the proposed targets?
The government has committed to restoring three quarters of our water bodies to be close to their natural state as soon as possible. It has also committed, in the 25 Year Environment Plan, to increasing supply and improving the efficiency of water usage, including the amount used by individuals and households. To make progress towards these ambitions, the government is proposing targets to improve water quality and availability by 2037:
- to reduce public water supply usage in England per person by 20%;
- to reduce the length of rivers and estuaries polluted by metals from abandoned mines by 50%;
- to reduce nutrient pollution by:
- reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution from agriculture to the water environment by at least 40%; and
- reducing phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80%
How will the targets address the problem?
These targets will act as powerful tools to deliver cleaner water, increase biodiversity and protect the water environment for future generations.
The pollution targets will ensure national and local action to combat major pressures on the water environment, increasing the pace and ambition of the government’s existing interventions and sending a clear message to industry about what is expected of them. The target to reduce water demand will encourage more efficient and sustainable use of fresh water by businesses, water suppliers, and communities.
Woodland cover target – overview
What is the problem?
England has a lower coverage of woodland than many other comparable countries around the world. This is in large part due to our historic uses of land, such as farming and urban development.
What is the proposed target?
The government is proposing to increase woodland cover and tree canopy cover outside woodlands from 14.5% to 17.5% of total land area in England by the year 2050.
How will the target address the problem?
Together with other government measures, such as the England Trees Action Plan, the target to increase tree and woodland coverage will lock carbon within trees and soils, helping us to tackle climate change and reach Net Zero by 2050.
Trees and woodland also improve the stability of soils, slowing the flow of rainwater, reducing flood risk, and help to filter and clean the water that we drink. With the right trees in the right places, the target can boost nature recovery and promote healthy wildlife and ecosystems, while giving local people more places to enjoy nature to the benefit of their physical and mental health. More woodlands will help support the economy by creating more jobs, especially in rural areas, and by helping to increase the size of the UK timber industry.
Waste reduction target – overview
What is the problem?
Despite an increase in recycling since the 1990s, England continues to send large amounts of waste materials to landfill and incineration (mostly with energy recovered for electricity or heat). These forms of waste treatment mean we lose materials from the economy whilst their use in production, such as packaging, continues to grow year on year. Using materials in this way is unsustainable and environmentally harmful.
In 2019, over 13 million tonnes of waste were sent to landfill, 15 million tonnes were sent to incineration (mostly with energy recovery), and around 3 million tonnes were sent for energy recovery overseas. These figures refer only to the waste tonnages included in our proposed scope.
What is the proposed target?
To drive down the amount of waste we produce, and encourage re-use and recycling, the government is proposing a target to cut residual waste (excluding major mineral waste) per person by 50% by the year 2042.
Residual waste can originate from many sectors, including households (“black bag” waste), commercial, industrial, construction, demolition, and excavation. Whereas major mineral waste, which is not included in the target, consists of material such as concrete, bricks and sand, mainly from the construction and demolition industry, plus materials such as soils primarily from mining and excavation activities.
How will the target address the problem?
The target sets a clear direction to reduce the overall amount of residual waste thrown away by individuals, households, businesses, and industry in England over the next 20 years. Together with other government commitments through the Environment Act, such as eliminating avoidable plastic waste by 2042, the target will drive down what is produced and then thrown away by businesses and individuals. This in turn will secure a more sustainable and circular supply chain from manufacturer, to retailer, to customer and will help to embed a new outlook in society on our relationship with material use and waste disposal.
Air quality targets – overview
What is the problem?
Air pollution poses the largest environmental risk to public health and is of particular concern to vulnerable groups, including the elderly, the very young and those with existing health conditions.
Although air pollution has reduced significantly in recent decades, there is more to do. Fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) is the most harmful form of air pollution to human health, and long-term exposure has been linked to heart and lung disease, cancer and dementia.
What are the proposed targets?
The government is proposing targets to improve air quality in England:
- To reduce the maximum annual mean concentration of PM2.5 to 10µg/m3 by 2040 (concentration target).
- A 35% reduction in PM2.5 population exposure by 2040 (compared to 2018) (exposure target).
By setting a concentration target and an exposure target, we are ensuring action not only reduces PM2.5 levels where concentrations are highest, but also reduces exposure to PM2.5 across the whole country.
These targets will complement and set a clear timeline for the government’s Clean Air Strategy which outlines the actions required across all parts of government to improve air quality and maximise public health benefits. The new targets are in addition to regulations and powers to reduce emissions from domestic burning, transport, industry and agriculture, alongside stronger powers for local authorities to tackle issues in their areas.
How will the targets address the problem?
Reducing PM2.5 to meet these ambitious targets will have a significant benefit on health. Reducing population exposure in England will prevent thousands of cases of heart disease, strokes, asthma, and lung cancers over the course of only a couple of decades. These targets will also reduce health inequalities between and within communities and contribute to levelling up across the country. Finally, these targets will reduce the impact of air pollution on sensitive ecosystems and biodiversity.
Nature Recovery Green Paper: Protected Sites and Species
Why do we need these proposals?
We have set a world-leading legally binding target to halt the decline of nature by 2030. We have also committed to protect 30% of our land and seas by 2030 (’30 by 30). EU directives have not done enough to halt the decline of nature. Our protected sites are the jewels in nature’s crown. These sites are protected under laws that have grown up over decades, and the system has not driven recovery at the scale or pace that we need to see.
That’s why we are publishing the Nature Recovery Green Paper, setting out proposals to make the system work better for nature. To create a system which better reflects the latest science and the impending impacts of climate change, which better reflects our domestic species and habitats, and our significant goals to recover nature.
What is being proposed?
The Green Paper seeks views on proposals to:
- Update the existing legal framework that underpins how we protect sites and species on land and at sea, to better deliver our new and urgent commitments to recover species abundance;
- Consider a new form of designation which not only protects what is already there but also creates space for nature’s recovery;
- Meet our ’30 by 30’ commitment and set out what should count towards it;
- Enable more tree planting to meet our manifesto commitment and to ensure the nation’s public forests deliver on the many benefits for nature and people;
- Bolster private investment in nature to support the delivery of the HMT target to raise at least £500m by 2027 and more than £1bn by 2030; and
Explore options to consolidate Defra group’s dispersed environmental regulatory functions and look at what institutional and delivery arrangements would best support our nature recovery objectives.
