3 February 2026
The year has begun with stark reminders of the impacts of a changing climate and the growing risks posed by environmental degradation. New data confirming record global temperatures, alongside the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026, has once again highlighted climate action failure, extreme weather and biodiversity loss as among the most serious risks facing economies, societies and security worldwide. These themes have been echoed in recent UK national security briefings, which underline that environmental decline — particularly biodiversity loss — is now a strategic as well as an ecological concern.
Against this backdrop, international attention is also turning to biodiversity governance, with global experts meeting this week at IPBES to assess the state of nature and the consequences of inaction.
Domestically, January marked a fast-paced start to the year for UK environment and sustainability policy. This blog rounds up key developments from DEFRA and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, spanning water reform, nature recovery, clean energy and household support, alongside scrutiny from Parliamentary Select Committees. In this month’s roundup, Asim Ali, ISEP’s Senior Public Affairs Officer, shares the latest developments shaping the UK’s environment and energy priorities.
Climate science and impacts continued to dominate global reporting. New data confirmed that 2025 was among the three hottest years on record, reinforcing warnings that the window for limiting global warming is rapidly narrowing.
Environmental risks were also elevated at the highest levels of global economic and political discussion. The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 identified climate action failure, extreme weather and biodiversity loss as among the most severe long-term risks facing the global economy, prompting renewed calls for governments to move faster from ambition to delivery.
A major milestone for ocean protection was reached as the High Seas Treaty formally entered into force in mid-January. The agreement is the first legally binding global framework to protect marine biodiversity in international waters.
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) published its latest progress report, finding that the government remains largely off track to meet key environmental targets and that urgent action is needed to deliver biodiversity, pollution and nature recovery outcomes by 2030
The Climate Change Committee has a full programme of publications in 2026, providing important context for the year ahead. Its latest report on Scotland’s progress in reducing emissions, published on 25 February 2026, assesses performance against climate targets and highlights ongoing delivery challenges. This will be followed by the Well-Adapted UK Report — the Fourth Climate Change Risk Assessment — due on 20 May, which will set out the latest evidence on climate risks and adaptation priorities, and the UK’s progress in reducing emissions report on 24 June, offering independent scrutiny of whether current policies are sufficient to meet the UK’s legally binding carbon budgets and net-zero goals.
ISEP’s CEO, Sarah Mukherjee MBE, and Mark Suthern were reappointed to the Board of the Environment Agency for a further 12 months. The Board provides strategic leadership to the agency as it works to protect people and wildlife while supporting sustainable development.
Meanwhile, Baroness Barbara Young of Old Scone was appointed as the new Chair of the Forestry Commission. She will lead efforts to protect and expand England’s trees, woodlands and forests for future generations.
DEFRA published its long-awaited white paper, A New Vision for Water, setting out plans to reform the water sector to deliver secure water supplies, a protected and enhanced environment, and fair outcomes for customers and investors.
Alongside this, the government introduced new legal duties on water companies. For the first time, companies are legally required to publish annual Pollution Incident Reduction Plans, making transparency and accountability mandatory rather than voluntary. It was also announced that around £29 million in fines from water companies that breached environmental rules will be reinvested into over 100 local restoration projects, improving 450km of rivers, restoring 650 acres of habitat and planting 100,000 trees.
Progress was also made on nature recovery, with the announcement that a new national forest in the Oxford–Cambridge Corridor has moved a step closer, as the search begins for delivery partners.
Internationally, the UK announced £14 million in new funding to support community-led ocean protection projects under the OCEAN Grants Programme, helping communities on the frontline of climate change to protect marine ecosystems while tackling poverty.
At the Oxford Farming Conference, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds set out a new era of partnership with farmers, including targeted support for smaller farms and those without existing agreements, aimed at boosting profitability, food security and long-term resilience.
DEFRA also announced the biggest reforms to the veterinary sector in 60 years, introducing clearer pricing and greater transparency to help pet owners compare costs, avoid unexpected bills and access better value care.
A offshore wind auction secured 8.4GW of new capacity - enough to power the equivalent of over 12 million homes - at prices around 40% lower than the cost of new gas generation. The auction is expected to unlock £22 billion in private investment and support around 7,000 skilled jobs.
Further announcements confirmed £3.4 billion of private investment in ports, factories and supply chains, helping to ensure clean energy infrastructure is built in Britain and supports jobs in industrial and coastal communities.
The UK and EU signed the Hamburg Declaration, a clean energy security pact committing to jointly deliver up to 100GW of offshore wind in shared waters, strengthening energy sovereignty and accelerating the transition to clean power.
DESNZ launched the Warm Homes Plan, a £15 billion programme to upgrade homes with insulation, heat pumps, solar panels and batteries. Alongside this, the government signalled reforms to the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) framework, aiming to better reflect real-world energy use and support the transition to low-carbon homes. Together, these measures are intended to cut energy bills, tackle fuel poverty and accelerate the transformation of the UK’s ageing housing stock into homes fit for a low-carbon future.
The government also confirmed that the Warm Home Discount will be extended, guaranteeing eligible households a £150 energy bill discount every winter until 2030/31.
These measures were supported by the publication of the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England, setting out six priority outcomes including improving housing efficiency, reducing child fuel poverty and improving health outcomes.
The Environmental Audit Committee called for “concrete results” on environmental commitments following the latest report from the Office for Environmental Protection. The Committee also launched a new inquiry into air pollution, examining its impacts on health, crops and biodiversity.
Responding to the publication of the Water White Paper, the Committee’s Chair warned that public confidence in the water sector remains low and that further action will be required to rebuild trust.
Meanwhile, the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee welcomed the Warm Homes Plan but emphasised that long-term success will depend on reducing electricity costs relative to gas to make clean technologies affordable.
Asim joined ISEP in May 2022 as a Senior Public Affairs Officer. Prior to joining ISEP, Asim worked in a variety of roles for three Members of Parliament and interned for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. He also holds an MA in Human Rights, Globalisation & Justice
