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
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has launched a consultation on proposed reforms to the WaterSure scheme, which caps...
The European Commission has proposed the sixth revision of the Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic substances Directive (CMRD) to strengthen worker...
Environment analysis: Simon Colvin, partner, Luke Davies-Foo, solicitor and Melissa Dixon, apprentice solicitor at Pinsent Masons analyse the...
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) has issued an advisory opinion calling for states to review their investor-state dispute settlement...
Environment analysis: The Market Insights Trend Report provides analysis on the sustainability disclosures and climate transition plans of FTSE 100...
Latest Environment Practice Notes
Climate change adaptation in public procurement [Archived]STOP PRESS: As of 24 February 2025, the main provisions of the procurement Act 2023 (PA...
Waste projects—waste PFI/PPP infrastructure projectsTargets to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill and technology innovation have led to the...
Forfeiture of property following convictionThe power of the court to order the forfeiture of property under the Sentencing Act 2020The Sentencing Act...
New starters asset purchase transactions collection—EHS issues to considerThis Practice Note sets out the key environmental and health and safety...
New starters share purchase transactions collection—EHS issues to considerThis Practice Note sets out the key environmental and health and safety...
Latest Environment Precedents
Board briefing note—environmental reporting—quoted companiesMemorandum prepared by [Name of Firm]For the directors of[insert company name] (the...
Board briefing note—environmental reporting—unquoted companiesMemorandum prepared by [Name of Firm]For the directors of[insert company name] (the...
Freedom of information—letter informing an applicant that the information requested is not held [Archived]ARCHIVED: This Precedent has been archived...
DDQ—CRC questions [Archived]1Please provide full details of the Company’s compliance with the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (the initial phase: 1 April...
Supply: Renewable Energy Requirements (Viola’s Clause) (The Chancery Lane Project)This Precedent clause is for a supply agreement requiring the...
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
Air quality management area
An area designated by a local authority as unlikely to achieve the national air quality objectives.
European waste catalogue
The waste classification scheme that categorises waste types according to what they are and how they were produced.
Orphan linkage
A significant pollutant linkage for which no appropriate person can be found, or where those who would otherwise be liable are exempted by one of the relevant statutory provisions of Part IIA EPA 1990.
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