Environmental renaissance depends on delivering legally binding targets

Establishing legally binding targets through the Environment Bill is a welcome and necessary step towards setting the country on the path to a greener future.

Setting credible targets and turning them into reality is the challenge ahead as The UK charts a new course outside the European Union.

While Government must lead and facilitate that process, the active involvement of industry, business and civil society is crucial in developing the pathways to an environmental renaissance which can tackle the climate emergency, build a circular economy that tackles waste, drives up air quality and ensures nature recovery locally and across the UK.

Secretary of State for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, George Eustice will, today (Wednesday 23 September 2020, 09:30) be part of an online discussion; ‘Targets for Green Growth – setting the targets under the Environment Bill’.

Hosted by the Broadway Initiative in partnership with IEMA and the Aldersgate Group, this event will bring together a wide range of representatives from business and industry as well as the NGO community. Joining Mr Eustice on the panel will be Chris Stark CEO of the Committee on Climate Change and IEMA’s Chief Executive, Sarah Mukherjee.

Sarah Mukherjee is clear that the development of credible pathways to deliver challenging targets set through the Environment Bill is essential and not in the gift of the Government alone:

‘The road to sustainability is littered with goals and targets that have failed or only partially met. The Environment Bill provides the next opportunity not only to crystallise in law the Government’s commitment to deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on Earth, but also to set out the means to achieve it’.

‘The last few days have seen an unprecedented series of reports that paint a depressing picture of lofty ambition brought down by failures to deliver. This can no longer be acceptable. In welcoming an approach that puts legally binding targets at the heart of the Environment Bill, we must all rise to the challenge of meeting them – further failure is not an option’.