About Environment Law
Have you been instructed at short notice to advise on transactions or new environmental legislation outside your comfort zone? Are you up-to-date with the latest changes in environmental regulation – and have a sense of what’s on the horizon?
Current awareness, horizon scanning and trackers
Our curated daily news alerts, environmental law podcast and dedicated environmental law trackers, split according to topic and covering consultations and legislation, alongside our cases tracker, will save you time.
Air emissions and climate change
We show where climate change targets come from at national, European and international levels, plus we detail climate reporting and disclosure frameworks, track litigation and provide practical guidance for your business
Brexit and divergence
We detail the environmental law regimes that have been impacted by Brexit and track EU/UK/GB divergence.
Transactional support
We’ll give you transactional support guides and precedents for the environmental and health and safety (EHS) issues that environmental lawyers need to consider when supporting corporate and property deals.
Topics We Cover
Latest Environment News
This edition of the Sustainable finance and ESG monthly round-up from the Finance Group includes: (1) ISDA, EFAMA and AFME submit joint response on EC...
A round-up of the latest environmental enforcement, including a farmer prosecuted for illegally discharging slurry into a river due to a leaking pipe....
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has opened a consultation to review the nine priorities underpinning its Construct Zero Performance...
The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEPFI) has published version four of its Guidance for Climate Target Setting for Banks....
E3G has published survey results of a YouGov survey of 2,500 business leaders across Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland, assessing their views...
Latest Environment Practice Notes
Climate change litigationOver the last decades, climate change has become an issue of ever-growing importance. With evolving scientific understanding...
England and Wales environment tracker 2025—chemicals and hazardous substancesThis tracker tool tracks and summarises key new and upcoming legislation...
Avoiding a judicial reviewAlthough it may not be possible to prevent a claimant from issuing a claim for judicial review, the more robust the...
Anti-social behaviour—the criminal behaviour order (CBO)Reform of anti-social behaviour powers (2014)The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act...
Environment Agency—powers to investigate environmental crimeThe Environment agency (EA) is one of the regulators responsible for the enforcement of...
Latest Environment Precedents
Environmental Information Regulations 2004—request for environmental information[Insert name of public authority][Insert public authority's address,...
Licence to carry out environmental investigationsParties1[insert name of licensor] [of [insert address] OR company number [insert company number]...
Green supplier agreement terms clause (Zoë and Bea’s Clause) (The Chancery Lane Project)The green supplier agreement terms clause is for insertion...
Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) due diligence questionnaire (DDQ)—share purchaseEnvironment Health and SafetyPlease provide the following:1Copies...
Environment Health and Safety due diligence questionnaire (DDQ)—asset purchaseEnvironment Health & SafetyPlease provide the following:1Copies of all...
Latest Environment Q&As
Featured Environment content
Private nuisance and the rule in Rylands v Fletcher—common law liability for environmental harm
Nuisance and the rule in Rylands v Fletcher—common law liability for pollutionPrivate nuisancePrivate nuisance is an unlawful interference with a...
Public nuisance—general principles
Public nuisance—general principlesPublic nuisanceThe common law offence of public nuisance was abolished by section 78 of the Police, Crime,...
Meaning of waste—definition of waste
Meaning of waste—definition of wasteDefinition of Waste'Waste' is defined in the Waste Framework Directive, Directive 2008/98/EC (WFD) as any...
Environment Agency (EA)—powers of entry
Environment Agency (EA)—powers of entryThe Environment Agency (EA), Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have...
Commercial Property Standard Enquiries (CPSE)—environmental and health and safety considerations and additional enquiries
Commercial Property Standard Enquiries (CPSE)—environmental and health and safety enquiriesCommercial Property Standard Enquiries (CPSEs) are industry...
Highway drains and culverts
Highway drains and culvertsFor the purposes of s 100 of the Highways Act 1980, a ‘highway drain’ is defined as including a ditch, gutter, watercourse,...
Environmental insurance—when is it needed?
Environmental insurance—when is it needed?What is environmental insurance?Environmental insurance is a risk transfer solution to indemnify the insured...
Riparian ownership—rights and responsibilities
Riparian ownership—rights and responsibilitiesWhat does riparian ownership mean and who does it affect?‘If you own land or property next to a river,...
Control of asbestos—asbestos surveys
Control of asbestos—asbestos surveysLegal requirementsThere is a legal presumption that any non-domestic buildings (and the common parts of domestic...
Environmental management—environmental management systems (EMS)
Environmental management—environmental management systems (EMS)What is an environmental management system (EMS)?An environmental management system...
Water pollution—legislation
Water pollution—legislation This Practice Note looks at the key legislation in England and Wales for controlling and preventing water pollution and...
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—snapshot
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—snapshotTitleUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)Parties168Adopted10...
Judicial review—sufficient interest (standing) in environmental matters
Judicial review—sufficient interest (standing) in environmental mattersOriginally produced in partnership with Alistair Mills of Landmark Chambers and...
Contaminated land—remediation notices (service and appeal)
Contaminated land—remediation notices (service and appeal)What is a remediation notice?A remediation notice is a formal written notice that requires...
Energy performance certificates (EPCs)—issues for commercial landlords and tenants
Energy performance certificates (EPCs)—issues for commercial landlords and tenantsThis Practice Note looks at some of the key practical issues for...
Environmental management—environmental legal registers
Environmental management—environmental legal registersWhat is a legal register?A legal register is the documented output from a process where an...
Environmental liabilities—what are clean-up liabilities?
Environmental liabilities—what are clean-up liabilities?Clean-up liabilities are legal and financial obligations to remediate pollution or...
Contaminated land—meaning of remediation
Contaminated land—meaning of remediationMeaning of remediation'Remediation' is given a relatively wide definition in the Environmental Protection Act...
Associated legal terms
Brownfield land
Land that is or was occupied by a permanent structure; the opposite of greenfield or virgin land.
Controlled waste
Defined in Part II of the Environmental Protection Act (s 75(4)) to mean household, industrial and commercial waste or any such waste.
Fit and proper person
One of the tests required to be granted an Environmental Permit is evidence that the holder will be 'a fit and proper person'.
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