Update on progress on Environmental Targets

There has been significant work undertaken to progress the ambitious environmental targets resulting from the Environment Act 2021.

The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) received over 180,000 responses from a range of individuals, businesses and other organisations to the target consultation which closed on 27th June 2022.

In light of the volume of material and the significant public response it is not possible to publish the updated environmental targets as originally intended by the end of October 2022.

Environment Secretary, Therese Coffey said:

I was part of the ministerial team that created the 25 Year Environment Plan and prepared the Environment Bill presented to Parliament in 2019.

Defra will continue to work at pace to finalise these environmental targets.

The Government remains committed to halting the decline in species by 2030 and bringing forward the wider suite of targets, which will help clean up our air, reduce pollution, keep our water clean and reduce waste. To date the Government has published over 800 pages of evidence that underpin the draft targets, based on three years of detailed consideration of the scientific and economic evidence.

The Environment Act will deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country and help support our international commitments to protect 30 per cent of land and ocean by 2030. The UK has played a leading role in driving countries around the world to sign up to ambitious targets to reverse biodiversity loss, for example through our work to negotiate the Leaders Pledge for Nature last year, which commits world leaders to taking action to drive sustainable food production, end the illegal wildlife trade and tackle climate change.

A Written Ministerial Statement has been laid in Parliament to update both houses, this can be read here.