After 3 years of campaigning, the Environment Act finally became law.

Dear John

It finally happened. More than 3 years after we started out to persuade the government our environment needs better protection, the Environment Act became law this week.

Thank you so much for all the support for the campaign and to the thousands of people who wrote to their MP. Together, we stood up for the natural world and demanded a strong new law that can keep it safe.

It’s fair to say the law’s far from perfect. But what’s good about it?

Well, communities can now keep the government in check – we can complain to an independent watchdog when it’s not upholding environmental law. The powerful regulator will be able to stand up for nature in court, and make sure problems are fixed and polluters punished.

We also stopped the government from giving itself the power to order the watchdog around in secret. Instead, the advice it gives to the watchdog about how to enforce environmental law must be made public. And of course, we’ll be watching closely to make sure nothing slips under the radar.

Targets will also be set to protect and restore the environment over the next 15 years. Including a target to take on species decline by 2030, and another to clean up the air we breathe – both thanks to tireless campaigning from environmental organisations. Plus, companies will have to do more to cut deforestation from their supply chains.

There’s other good news too. Following a huge public outcry, the government included stronger legal requirements on water companies to stop flooding our waters with sewage. Unfortunately, those requirements don’t go far enough to stop them completely.

So, like I said, this law isn’t exactly what we asked for. It doesn’t have legally binding shorter-term targets that would force the government to take immediate action. It doesn’t stop the government making some policy decisions without properly considering the environment.

But it’s progress. We started campaigning for this law because nature is in grave danger. The Environment Act sets out a plan to change that – and it gives communities the tools to keep up the fight in the future.

But the loopholes and get-out clauses mean there’s still a long way to go if we want to secure proper protection. With your support, we’ll keep on fighting for nature. So, if you haven’t already, please will you consider becoming a member of Friends of the Earth with a monthly donation?
I'LL BECOME A MEMBER ([link removed])
Thank you again for everything you’ve done so far. There’s real hope that change is coming and I look forward to working together to protect the environment.

All the best,

Kierra Box
Campaigner

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