Report

Environmental governance in the UK

This report from UK think tank Green Alliance looks at the state of UK environmental law five years after Brexit.

This report is the first in a series of stocktakes from Green Alliance’s Legislation and Governance Unit on the state of UK environmental law five years after Brexit.

In it, we focus on the new national environmental governance systems that have been established over the past five years across the UK to hold governments and public authorities to account on environmental laws and commitments. We chart their evolution and early years, making recommendations for how they should be strengthened.

First, we look at components of the UK government’s 2021 Environment Act and assess what has changed since it was passed, and whether it has enhanced environmental protection. In the second part of this assessment, we look at progress in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and how that differs from action in England. The new governance systems are being used and appreciated and there are encouraging signs that they are prompting re-evaluations and sparking citizen action. As political tides continue to turn, the checks and balances these systems provide will be important anchors.

The future of environmental law is in our hands; we must use these new systems wisely and with purpose.