The Internal Market Bill, setting out a single framework for future trade with the different parts of the UK, already had the potential to bring about major strains on the Union of the United Kingdom

Illegal deforestation to clear land for agriculture is one of the most significant drivers for the wholesale destruction of forests and habitats worldwide.

On 31 July 2020 in a judgement in the case Friends of the Irish Environment v The Government of Ireland, the Irish Supreme Court quashed the Irish government’s 2017 National Mitigation Plan, saying that it did not give enough detail on measures to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

In the Environment Bill, which is due to be brought before the House of Commons for Report on 25th June 2020, the Bill commits UK Ministers to give strictly limited consideration to environmental principles when making policy.

The Environment Bill is currently before the House of Commons, but the proceedings at Committee stage were suspended until further notice on 19th March 2020 due to the pressing demands of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. The Bill is now due back for Report stage in June 2020. However, what is already clear is that the Environment Bill for England will constitute a significant dilution of air quality standards.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that air pollution kills an estimated 7 million people per year worldwide, and some 4.2 million premature deaths per year are caused by exposure to ambient (outdoor) air pollution. The WHO estimates that 91% of the world’s population lives in places where air pollution levels exceed the WHO limits reflected in its guidelines.

Businesses facing a potential prosecution by the Environment Agency may wish to consider whether the offer of an Enforcement Undertaking would be a viable alternative.