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Latest Environment News

DAERA launches consultation on Northern Ireland’s draft Climate Action Plan 2023–2027

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has launched a consultation on Northern Ireland’s draft Climate Action Plan 2023–2027. The plan, developed in line with the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, outlines the policies and proposals intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the first carbon budget. It sets out a pathway to achieving the statutory target of net zero emissions by 2050, with interim targets for 2030 and 2040. The draft plan includes cross-departmental contributions and focuses on delivery, monitoring and stakeholder engagement. DAERA is encouraging responses from individuals, organisations and stakeholders across all sectors. A series of public consultation sessions will be held both online and in person across Northern Ireland between July and October 2025.

Defra launches consultation on updated UK Marine Strategy Part One

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), together with the devolved administrations, has launched a consultation on the third update of the UK Marine Strategy (UKMS) Part One. The consultation seeks views on the updated assessment of Good Environmental Status (GES) for UK seas and on the proposed objectives, targets and indicators for the next six-year cycle. The assessment incorporates findings from the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic Quality Status Report 2023 and evaluates progress towards targets established in 2019. The proposals apply to all marine waters under UK jurisdiction.

HM Treasury unveils ten-year Infrastructure Strategy with £725bn clean energy investment plan

HM Treasury, in partnership with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, has unveiled a landmark ten-year Infrastructure Strategy as part of the Plan for Change. This detailed strategy commits at least £725bn to infrastructure investment through to 2035, with the dual aim of establishing the UK as a clean energy superpower and providing long-term investment certainty. It outlines aggressive 2030 clean power targets of 43–50 gigawatts (GW) offshore wind, 27–29 GW onshore wind, and 45–47 GW solar capacity, while allocating £9.4bn for carbon capture, usage and storage projects and £500m for hydrogen transport infrastructure. In addition, the strategy sets aside £14.2bn for the development of Sizewell C and £2.5bn for small modular reactor programmes, with Great British Energy set to invest £8.3bn in clean power projects, including £300m for offshore wind supply chains.

ESMA publishes statement on supervision of sustainability reporting under ESRS

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published a public statement on supervising sustainability reporting under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Against the backdrop of uncertainty arising from the first ESRS application, uneven transposition of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Omnibus legislative proposals, and resulting questions about the approach to supervising sustainability reporting by national competent authorities (NCAs), the statement reaffirms NCAs’ and ESMA’s ongoing commitment to promoting transparent sustainability reporting. This includes efforts to mitigate greenwashing risks while also ensuring that measures applicable to issuers are proportionate.

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