What UK Environment Act 2021: Long-Term Targets, the Office for Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Gain requires
The Environment Act 2021 (c. 30) is the United Kingdom's principal post-Brexit framework for environmental governance, targets and protection, with most provisions led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and independent oversight by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP). Part 1 (Environmental Governance) requires the Secretary of State to set long-term environmental targets: section 1 confers the power and duty to set long-term targets in respect of the natural environment or people's enjoyment of it, with at least one target required in each of the priority areas of air quality, water, biodiversity, and resource efficiency and waste reduction, together with a fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air quality target and a target to halt the decline in species abundance. Sections 8 to 15 require an environmental improvement plan and annual reporting and review against it, and section 16 provides for environmental monitoring. Sections 17 to 19 require ministers to prepare and have regard to a policy statement on environmental principles. Section 22 establishes the Office for Environmental Protection, an independent body whose functions (sections 22 to 43) include monitoring and reporting on progress, advising on environmental law, and enforcing compliance by public authorities through information notices, decision notices and environmental review. Part 3 (sections 50 to 56) provides for producer responsibility obligations, resource efficiency requirements, and deposit and charging schemes. Part 4 includes the local air quality management framework (section 72) and the environmental recall of motor vehicles. Part 5 (sections 78 to 84) addresses water resources and drainage plans and storm overflows. Part 6 (Nature and Biodiversity) introduces mandatory biodiversity gain as a condition of planning permission (sections 98 to 101), the strengthened general biodiversity duty on public authorities (section 102), and local nature recovery strategies (sections 104 onwards). Enforcement operates through the OEP's notices and environmental review, planning conditions, and the penalty regimes in the regulations made under the producer responsibility and other powers.
Pillar: Water & Environmental Resources · Authority: UK Parliament / Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Office for Environmental Protection · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated:
Primary source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2021/30/contents
SHA-256 integrity: 9f0ca03ac3f80164314956199532e0df754f7b358cc0e4b0267b9bf60ba1666d
Primary Citations — 8 traced to source
- Environment Act 2021, section 1 - power and duty to set long-term environmental targets (including the PM2.5 and species abundance targets).
- Environment Act 2021, sections 8 to 15 - environmental improvement plans, annual reporting and review.
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