In January 2023, the UK Government published its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) as the first update to its 25 Year Environment Plan. The Plan covers 10 high-level goals, most of which interact directly or indirectly with natural systems, environmental outcomes, and other policy mechanisms with the potential for significant co-benefits.
Representing the most substantial statement of intent on environmental policy by the Government since the publication of the 25 Year Environment Plan, the EIP will have substantial effects across specialisms of the environmental sciences, even in areas which are not the direct subject of the Plan’s high-level goals or cross-cutting themes.
How will the EIP influence environmental science?
As part of the Regulatory Landscape theme of our Future of ES23 Horizon Scanning and Foresight Project, we are now publicly releasing our briefing paper on the EIP and its ramifications for each of the IES specialisms.
The briefing outlines the broad implications of the EIP for each specialism of the environmental sciences, as well as the policy decisions that IES members can expect to be influencing their work as a result. This briefing was released as a pre-released chapter of an upcoming IES policy report: ‘Progressing or regressing: the future of environmental science under new UK governance’.
What next?
As the Government works to deliver on the commitments outlined in the Environmental Improvement Plan, the implementation of policy will be vital. To that end, the IES is working with EPUK to create the Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC), which will take up the task of supporting effective implementation of the EIP and its commitments. Get in touch to find out how you can get involved.
This article is part of our Future of ES23 horizon scanning & foresight project on the future of the environmental sciences. Find out more about the project and how you can get involved.
If you want to support the work of the IES to shape the future of the environmental sciences, you can join as an affiliate, or if you’re a professional in the environmental sector working with science, consider becoming a member of the IES.
