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 European Commission has adopted revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), amending Commission Delegated Regulation (EU)...
The Environment Agency (EA) has updated its list of enforcement undertakings to include those accepted between 26 July 2024 and 11 June 2026. The EA...
The European Parliament has announced that its Industry, Research and Energy Committee has adopted its position on proposed legislation to accelerate...
The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has published its investigation report into emergency authorisations granted by Defra for neonicotinoid...
This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: analysis of the French court ruling that energy giant TotalEnergies is required to...
Latest Environment Practice Notes
The underlying principle in property transactions is ‘caveat emptor’ or ‘let the buyer beware’. In other words, the risk is with the buyer to make...
This Practice Note summarises the planning regime for hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, in England. While the process is similar in...
This tracker tool tracks and summarises key new legislation and consultations in England and Wales linked to water and marine.The tracker is divided...
This tracker tool tracks and summarises key new legislation and consultations in England and Wales linked to contamination, pollution and...
This tracker tool tracks and summarises key new legislation in England and Wales and consultations linked to climate action and emissions reduction...
Latest Environment Precedents
1DefinitionsIn this clause [1] the following definitions apply:Contaminated Land Regime•Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as amended...
Definitions[to be added at the start of the lease]End of Term Environmental Report•an intrusive phase 2 soil and groundwater investigation including...
ARCHIVED: This Precedent has been archived and is not maintained.[Name][Address]Ref No: [number][Date] Dear [applicant's name]Thank you for your...
ARCHIVED: This Precedent has been archived and is not maintained.[Name][Address]Ref No: [number][Date] Dear [applicant's name]Thank you for your...
The green supplier agreement terms clause is for insertion into standard supplier agreements and comprise green procurement clauses to make a standard...
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
Circular economy
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves designing products and materials for sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling so that products can last for as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.
Criminal liability (environment)
Liability that is imposed on the defendant by the State through the use of statutory controls.
Rylands v Fletcher
The rule in Rylands v Fletcher creates a strict liability cause of action for foreseeable damage caused by escapes occasioned by non-natural use of land.
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