In its latest progress report on the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), the watchdog reveals that “good” progress has been made for 12 of 43 individual 2030 targets, with progress “mixed” for 19 and “limited” for 12.
Highlights over the 12 months leading up to the end of March 2025 include the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats and reducing phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater, however, there was limited progress in improving the condition of Marine Protected Areas and in reducing residual waste.
Clean air also showed improvement due to positive steps to reduce vehicle emissions – such as reinstating the 2030 phase-out date for new petrol and diesel cars – while actions to eliminate the use of PCBs and other specific chemicals was another bright spot.
Overall, the analysis suggests that the UK is largely on track to meet just five targets. It is partially on track to meet 16, and largely off track to meet 21, while the prospects of meeting one goal could not be assessed due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
OEP chair Dame Glenys Stacey said that the UK risks missing legally binding biodiversity targets set under the Environment Act, as well as its 30 by 30 commitments, which could jeopardise the government's economic ambitions.
She continued: “Our report comes at a time when government is focused on economic growth. Nature has a role to play here, an important role. It is not a blocker to growth, but it enables, drives and protects economic growth.
“Nature’s recovery is a pre-requisite of prosperity, health and well-being. Recent analyses, led by the Cabinet Office, of the chronic risks facing this country are sobering. They talk of accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution having cascading, compounding impacts, which will amplify threats to national and international security, the economy and communities.
“We have previously called for government to speed up and scale up its efforts if it is to achieve its environmental ambitions and commitments, and we renew that call now. While we have seen more progress in this year than in the previous reporting period, it was not the step change needed."
The OEP assessment does not cover the government’s revised EIP published last December as it was too late to consider as part of the latest reporting cycle. The initial view of the updated plan is that it is “more coherent” than the previous iteration and offers more transparency with an increased focus in delivery.
However, Dame Glenys said: “Some commitments remain broad statements of intent. There are gaps in the plans to monitor progress. Resources, particularly for higher tier agri-environment schemes such as Landscape Recovery, appear as stretched as ever.”
The OEP’s recommendations remain unchanged from its previous progress report, and urge the government to:
“Alongside the new EIP, government continues to work on a long-awaited Land Use Framework, a new Farming Roadmap, Food Strategy, Circular Economy Strategy and a UK Marine Strategy, all alongside significant planning and water sector reform,” Dame Glenys said.
“There is now a real opportunity for all of these reforms to complement the revised EIP, to provide coherence from the strategic policy level through to local decision making. As we have long said, the most important thing now is effective delivery of the plan.”
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