“Our natural environment is our most precious inheritance. The United Kingdom is blessed with a wonderful variety of natural landscapes and habitats and our 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our comprehensive and long-term approach to protecting and enhancing them in England for the next generation.

Its goals are simple: cleaner air and water; plants and animals which are thriving; and a cleaner, greener country for us all. We have already taken huge strides to improve environmental protections, from banning microbeads which harm our marine life to improving the quality of the air we breathe to improving standards of animal welfare. This plan sets out the further action we will take.

By using our land more sustainably and creating new habitats for wildlife, including by planting more trees, we can arrest the decline in native species and improve our biodiversity. By
tackling the scourge of waste plastic we can make our oceans cleaner and healthier. Connecting more people with the environment will promote greater well-being. And by making the most of emerging technologies, we can build a cleaner, greener country and reap the economic rewards of the clean growth revolution.

The success of the 5p plastic bag charge in reducing the use of carrier bags by 85% shows the difference which government action can make, and demonstrates that protecting our environment is a job for each one of us.

This is a national plan of action, with international ambition. As well as setting an example for others to follow in our treatment of the countryside, rivers, coastlines and air, we will also bring the United Kingdom’s international influence to bear in pursuit of a cleaner and safer world.

From reducing our carbon emissions and building resilience against the extreme weather associated with climate change, to leading international action to protect endangered species, the UK is an international champion for the protection of our planet and we will build on our record in the years ahead.

When the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, control of important areas of environmental policy will return to these shores. We will use this opportunity to strengthen and enhance the protections our countryside, rivers, coastline and wildlife habitats enjoy, and develop new methods of agricultural and fisheries support which put the environment first.” – The Prime Minister, Theresa May

See the government’s 25 year environment plan here.