The Government has set out how it will underpin key environmental commitments with legally binding targets, including for air quality, water, waste and biodiversity.

According to a paper published the Department of food Environment and Rural Affairs, the government intends to introduce at least one long-term target in four priority areas to drive significant and lasting environmental improvements: cleaner air, cleaner water, less waste and more biodiversity.

To ensure the most pressing or newly emerging issues continue to be addressed, further priority areas and targets can be introduced at a later date, informed by the latest scientific evidence.

The long-term targets will be supported by interim targets which will set out a five-year trajectory - the government will report annually on progress.

To hold the Government to account, the new environmental watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, will also report annually on the progress that has been made in improving the natural environment in accordance with the targets.

The four priority areas, and proposed objectives for targets, include:

• Air quality: To support robust action to improve air quality across the country - targets focussed specifically on reducing public exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the air pollutant that has the most significant impact on health
• Biodiversity: targets to be explored to restore and create wildlife-rich habitats in protected sites on land, in freshwaters and at sea and in the wider countryside, and to increase species populations on land and improve marine biodiversity
• Resource efficiency and waste reduction: Potential targets will look to increase resource productivity and reduce the volume of residual waste and plastic pollution the country generates
• Water: government will look to set targets to tackle pollution from agriculture and waste water to improve water quality, as well as a target on water demand to reduce the volume that is abstracted

Scope of water targets

Setting out the scope of the Government’s policy aim, existing measures and progress for water, the paper says that substantial investment has been made to improve the water environment, including the 2015 River Basin Management Plans which confirmed a £3 billion investment by water companies to improve the water environment over the period to 2021 and a further commitment to an investment of £4.6 billion (2020-25) towards environmental improvements.

However, despite the significant investment made, progress has “flat lined in recent years” and the scale of the challenge is growing in the face of the increasing pressures of climate change, increasing water consumption and population growth.

“Despite water quality improving in recent decades, progress has stalled in recent years in the face of continuing pressure on the water environment from human activity. Improvement needs to accelerate again.”

Target scope currently under consideration

The paper says the government will continue to take action to improve the water environment against a number of existing measures to determine whether a particular river, lake, estuary, nearshore coastal water or groundwater is close to natural conditions which consist of:

• chemistry, including naturally occurring chemicals and chemical pollutants
• biology, including fish, invertebrates and plants present (apart from in groundwaters)
• other conditions, such as amount of water, flow and temperature

The document says:

“To provide a strong focus on action which will help us to make the greatest and fastest progress, we propose to develop new targets which focus on specific pressures that are known to be major causes of environmental degradation, focusing on specific pollutants and on water use, which affects quantity of water and flow. “

Objectives for targets under consideration

The Government also intends to develop new targets that reduce significant pressures on the ecological health of the water environment which will:

• reduce pollution from agriculture, in particular phosphorus and nitrate
• reduce pollution from wastewater, in particular phosphorus and nitrate
• reduce water demand

Rationale for proposed target scope

The paper says that latest Environment Agency analysis (2019) has shown that the two of the most significant pressures on the water environment are rural pollution and wastewater. Latest data (2019) suggests that 40% of water bodies are affected by pollution from rural areas and 36% are affected by pollution from wastewater.

Within these pressures, phosphorus is the most significant pollutant in terms of water bodies failing to return to close to a natural state (also known as good ecological status), with over half of rivers failing to meet standards for phosphorus. Nitrate is a significant issue for coastal areas and estuaries.

“We need to implement better and more innovative ways to prevent agricultural pollutants damaging waterbodies, whilst maintaining a competitive agricultural sector.”

To achieve the most progress on reducing phosphorus and nitrate, the government is proposing to develop specific targets to reduce pollution from wastewater and agriculture.

Using less water is also flagged up as key to managing the impact on the water environment and ensuring a resilient supply of water. The Environment Agency reported that “in England we over abstract from around 20% of rivers and 26% of groundwater bodies”, the paper states.

Wastewater target will initially focus on phosphorus and nitrate

Looking to reduce the impact of wastewater on ecology, the paper says that 36% of water bodies are being impacted by pollution from wastewater:

“Given the significance of phosphorus and nitrate in damaging the ecology of many of our waters, we are initially proposing a wastewater target which focuses on these pollutants in order to ensure that rapid progress is made in reducing their environmental impact.”

As the evidence base increases, the government will also consider developing targets focused on the other pollutants found in wastewater and on specific issues, such as the impact of Combined Sewer Overflows.

Reducing demand for water to manage the impact on the water environment

On average, a person in England currently uses 141 litres of water per day. Recognising that 21% of public water supply is also lost in leakage, and a further 21% is non-household use, the government is also currently considering setting an Environment Bill target on overall demand for water: the volume of water distributed or abstracted by water companies.

The target could reflect both water lost in leakage and a new target on per capita consumption.

Defra consulted on a range of measures to reduce personal water use in 2019 and already set a government target for a 50% reduction in leakage by 2050.

The paper says:

“A demand target would encourage water companies to go further in this and also reduce non-household water use in conjunction with the retail market.”

Other potential target objectives include:

• Reducing the impact of chemicals on the water environment
• Reducing the impact of pollution from abandoned metal mines on the water environment
• Reducing the impact of physical modification on the water environment

Environment Secretary “targets will be driving force behind our bold action to protect and enhance our natural world”

Environment Secretary George Eustice said:

“The targets we set under our landmark Environment Bill will be the driving force behind our bold action to protect and enhance our natural world - guaranteeing real and lasting progress on some of the biggest environmental issues facing us today.

“I hope these targets will provide some much-needed certainty to businesses and society, as we work together to build back better and greener.”

To set the targets, which will also apply to any future governments, Defra will use an evidence-led process in collaboration with independent experts and stakeholders to make sure these are strong, meaningful and environmental outcome focused.

Once proposed targets are developed, businesses, communities and civil society will have an opportunity to share their views in response to a public consultation that is expected in early 2022.

The Environment Bill is due to resume its passage through parliament "as soon as possible."

Click here to read the Environmental Bill targets paper in full