Govt unveils its five-year Environmental Improvement Plan

Reacting to the five-year plan set out by the government today to help restore nature and improve the environment, which builds on the 25 Year Environment Plan launched by Theresa May in 2018, Paul de Zylva, nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:

“At a glance these measures sound impressive, but on closer inspection it seems that many are just rehashed commitments the government is already late on delivering – and it’s unclear how others, such as ensuring everyone can live within a 15 minute walk of green space, will actually be met.

“There’s also a big emphasis on improving air quality which is completely at odds with the government’s £24bn* roads agenda, raising serious questions over whether councils are being set up to fail.

“The government should be using this moment to make good on the promises it made five years ago, but it appears there’s still a lot of work to be done to get things on track. Halting biodiversity loss, protecting vital habitats and improving the health of our heavily polluted waterways are all top priorities – they require a level of ambition that we’re still yet to see.”

ENDS

* This figure has been revised after originally referring to £27bn in investment. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-investment-strategy-post-2020