Press release: 30 January 2020

The UK Environment Bill is another missed opportunity for clean air: environmental lawyers

The UK Government is reintroducing the Environment Bill to Parliament today. The Bill aims to tackle the UK’s biggest environmental challenges but misses the mark on clean air.

ClientEarth lawyer Katie Nield said: “There is no legally binding commitment to meet WHO air pollution standards by 2030 in the Bill. Its absence means the government is completely failing people across our country who are breathing harmful and dirty air. Despite warm words and promises to listen to health professionals and worried parents, when it comes to the crunch, they have chosen to let the public down.

“Without ambitious legally binding targets and clear duties to back them up, ministers, local authorities and public bodies will continue to drag their feet on this public health crisis. This is a missed opportunity by the new government to put people first and drive the clean growth that would make the UK a world leader.”

ENDS

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a charity that uses the power of the law to protect people and the planet. We are international lawyers finding practical solutions for the world’s biggest environmental challenges. We are fighting climate change, protecting oceans and wildlife, making forest governance stronger, greening energy, making business more responsible and pushing for government transparency. We believe the law is a tool for positive change. From our offices in London, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin and Beijing, we work on laws throughout their lifetime, from the earliest stages to implementation. And when those laws are broken, we go to court to enforce them.