The new environmental watchdog warns that toxic air can cause health problems and water pollution from sewage and agriculture must be dealt with as a top priority.
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), which issued its first report, urges that the Government address overfishing and damage to seafloors by trawling as well as loss of natural habitats and degraded soils.
Dame Glenys Stacey OEP chair said that despite Government ambitions, the environment remains in a precarious place and is experiencing worrying and persistent declines of air and water quality, species, habitats, and other environmental factors.
The report calls on the Government to take a comprehensive inventory of the state and condition of the natural world, to set ambitious legal targets and to take consistent action and make the environment a priority in all departments.
It urges that the emergency in England’s air, water and landscapes should be addressed with the same urgency and cross-government support as climate efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.
The OEP calls on the Government, however, to reverse the decline in funding to monitor the environment over a decade. However, it does not demand more resources to tackle the environmental crisis.
The watchdog was created as part the post-Brexit regime to manage England’s environment. It is responsible for monitoring progress on reversing environmental harm and acting as a regulator for green laws.
The Government’s 25-year Environment Plan was announced in 2018 by its first monitoring report. It warns that while the Government’s plans for the natural environment are ambitious, progress in delivering them is slow.
It warns of tipping points, where slow, continuous declines in nature can become catastrophic. This could be caused by setting fishing limits higher than scientific advice. This can lead to fish stock crashes and continued damage to the ocean floor, which can destroy the marine ecosystem.
Dame Glenys stated, “It will be difficult to reverse the declines if you don’t prioritise these issues” and address them before they reach tipping points.
She stated that although the 25-year Environment Plan was an ambitious attempt by the government to address the challenges facing the environment it still continues to show worrying and persistent signs of environmental decline.
Our rivers are in a poor condition, bird and other species numbers have declined, poor air quality has serious consequences for the health of many, and our oceans and seafloor are not managed sustainably.
She acknowledged that it will be difficult to turn the situation around, but she urged the Government for a clear vision for the environment, which is prioritized across all departments.
We all have an inarguable dependency upon the environment. Its precarious state should be a concern for all Government officials and a national priority, she warned.
The Conservative Government declared a decade ago that it wanted to leave England’s natural world in a better condition for future generations. In 2018, the 25 Year Environment Plan was produced. It includes dozens of measures in 10 areas, including clean air, water, waste, wildlife, and landscapes.
It passed the Environment Act last ye, which will allow new targets to be set in areas such as curbing air pollutants. The Act will also produce an Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), which will be produced under the Act next ye.
OEP’s report highlights a number of areas that the Government should prioritize and take immediate action in, including cutting down on air pollution that causes tens of thousands of premature deaths each year.
Water pollution in rivers, lakes, and streams should be addressed from treated sewage and agricultural runoff from livestock and arable farm.
England’s seas require urgent action to stop overfishing. This affects approximately a third of UK stocks.
On land, the loss of habitat due to intensification in agriculture and urbanisation must also be addressed. Also, erosion and degraded soils must be addressed, which can cause flooding, release carbon, and increase costs for farmers.
The report urges the Government understand the causes of environmental degradation, to develop a vision to address the crisis, to set ambitious targets, to implement a coherent strategy, policy, and to ensure good governance, monitoring, assessment, and reporting on progress.
Rebecca Pow, Environment Minister, said: We are pleased with this report. It acknowledges that the Environment Act gives us new options to make a difference to our environment. This puts it at the heart and transitions us to a sustainable future together with nature on the road of recovery in this decade.
Six months after the Act received royal assent we are currently consulting about legally binding environmental targets. This includes a world-leading target for halting species decline by 2030.
We have launched a consultative process to develop the largest ever storm sewage discharges prevention program and have taken actions to transform how we deal with waste.
