The fourth and final part of the UK government’s new national environmental governance system went live one year ago on 1 November 2023. It is a duty on all government ministers to take account of a policy statement on five environmental principles in their policy making.

This joined the other parts of the system set up by the environment Act 2021: legally binding targets, the Environmental Improvement Plan and a new oversight body, the Office for Environmental Protection.

In this briefing, we look at experience to date of how the duty is informing policy making in England, highlighting some examples of good practice and recommending where improvements should be considered.

For more information, contact:
Ruth Chambers, senior fellow: rchambers@green-alliance.org.uk