This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) investigation into how combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are regulated by Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the Environment Agency and Ofwat, and the statutory response to the OEP review of environmental inspections and their implementation in England, pursuant to section 29 of the Environment Act 2021. In addition, Defra has launched the Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) to accelerate offshore wind development and safeguard marine biodiversity, and the European Parliament has given final sign off to sustainability omnibus changes and final endorsement to delay and simplification of deforestation rules.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: the Court of Appeal decision in R (on the Application of Global Feedback Ltd) v Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and another on the application of the Climate Change Act 2008 to the Government's Food Strategy, publication by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) of a paper assessing the UK's critical imports and supply chain strategy, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) plan for the expansion of nuclear generation in the UK, and announcement by the EU Parliament of a directive to protect consumers from greenwashing and misleading product information.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: news analysis on the judicial review challenge in R (Rights Community Action Ltd) v SSHLUC—the first reported case on the new duty on ministers to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement under section 19 of the Environment Act 2021—and the costs management conference held for the Pan NOx Emissions group litigation, as well as a summary of the key environment announcements in the King's Speech. In addition this week, Friends of the Earth and South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC)'s hearing has taken place in the High Court over a Cumbrian coal mine, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has announced steps to reform the water sector to reduce pollution and the European Commission has clarified rules for energy labelling in visual advertising following a European Court of Justice ruling.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC)’s publication of the government’s response to the EAC’s Seventh Carbon Budget report (CB7), in which it confirms that Parliament will be asked to set CB7 at the Climate Change Committee’s recommended level. In addition this week, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a governance framework document for the Office of Environmental Protection (OEP), laying out the working arrangements and governance controls applicable to the working relationship between Defra, the OEP and Northern Ireland’s Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. There have also been new regulations laid in relation to carbon dioxide storage and transport and the wildlife trade regime.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: news analysis on the case of Green Lane Association v Central Bedfordshire, in which the High Court has applied the approach to the availability of Aarhus costs protection set out by the Court of Appeal in HM Treasury v Global Feedback. In addition this week, the Environment Agency (EA) has launched a consultation on proposed changes to standard rules permits for medium combustion plants and specified generators in England, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published its 2025 biodiversity duty statement, outlining how it has met its statutory biodiversity obligations across England, Scotland and Wales and launched a consultation on proposed regulatory reforms to the UK's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) implementing framework. This week we have also published a new Practice Note on biodiversity offsetting and nature markets.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: the Environment team at LexisNexis® looking back at some of the key environmental law developments and cases in 2024, analysis on the UK government’s consultation plans to include emissions from the maritime sector in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme, the Energy Performance of Buildings regime with ambitious targets being set out in a new consultation building on the previous MEES consultations, planning reforms for energy infrastructure in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, the government’s publishing of a revised version of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Spain’s failure in its latest attempt to enforce a €855m Spanish judgment against maritime insurers over a huge oil spill off its coast and proposals to accelerate development while ensuring better environmental outcomes.. It also covers the government's response to the Climate Change Committee (CCC)’s 2024 annual progress report, which was published in July 2024 and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)'s announcement to relaunch the Net Zero Council, with an expanded membership that includes representatives from civil society and local government. In addition this week, the Environment Agency (EA) has concluded its consultation on proposed updates to its enforcement and sanctions policy, specifically to include provisions for the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and HM Treasury (HMT) has published the response to its July 2024 consultation on the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD)-aligned disclosure Exposure Draft for Phase 3.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) response to its consultation on reforming chemicals legislation, the Welsh Government has laid the Deposit Return Scheme for Drinks Containers (Wales) Regulations 2026 before the Senedd establishing the legal framework for a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to commence on 1 October 2027, subject to approval and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced that the UK government has agreed to grant the Welsh Government an exclusion from the UK Internal Market Act 2020 (UKIMA 2020) to allow single-use glass bottles to be included in Wales deposit return scheme. This week we have also published new Practice Notes on offshore installations—environmental compliance, packaging waste—compliance schemes and how to comply with the extended producer responsibility regime for packaging waste, as a local authority.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: news analysis on the Key Energy and Environment announcements from the Spending Review 2025, the Arbitration Tribunal's final decision to uphold the ban on Sandeel fishing in the UK waters of the North Sea and how UK insurers are pressing the government for a long-term flood resilience plan. In addition this week, we cover a round-up of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, the decision in R (on the application of Clear The Air In Havering) v Havering London Borough Council relating to contaminated land, and the Environment Agency action plan to secure England’s future water supply.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: analysis of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government response to the March 2023 consultation on Environmental Outcomes Reports (EORs), confirming the intention to use the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 powers to replace existing environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) processes with a new outcomes-based assessment framework. In addition this week, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced plans to extend powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE 1984) and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA 2002) to Environment Agency (EA) enforcement officers to strengthen enforcement against waste crime, Spotlight on Corruption has released a manifesto setting out five consensus areas where improved anti-corruption measures can help address environmental harm and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has launched a consultation on proposed changes to the regulatory framework for cross-boundary carbon capture and storage (CCS) pipelines.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: analysis on the upcoming sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, and analysis on two High Court cases providing guidance on weighing planning considerations and the very special circumstances test for development in the Green Belt, and the granting of a costs-capping order on a claim under the Aarhus Convention. In addition, this week the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) published a letter of advice to government on the review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, the Construction Industry Council launched a consultation on a competence framework for sustainability in the built environment, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) launched its Buildings Sector Science-Based Target-Setting Criteria, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a list of biocidal active substance suppliers scheduled for removal from GB Article 95, and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) launched a Floods Resilience Taskforce.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: analysis of the decision in Barbican Quarter Organisation Ltd v City of London Corp, where the Court found an EIA separation breach did not invalidate permission and rejected a local plan demolition-avoidance challenge . In addition this week, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has implemented its simpler recycling scheme across England and concluded its consultation on alternative transitional registration model for UK REACH and the British Standards Institution (BSI) has announced the release of two new nature market standards: the BSI Flex 702 v2.0 for biodiversity benefits and BSI Flex 704 v2.0 for nutrient benefits.

This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes: analysis of the French court ruling that energy giant TotalEnergies is required to account for climate risks and emissions from the use of its products. We also cover publication by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) of new guidance on the recyclability of packaging and packaging components and of the Farming Roadmap 2050, which deals amongst other things with a refocusing of environmental land management (ELM) schemes. In addition this week, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has published its 2026 report on emissions reduction progress, assessing government advancements towards carbon budgets, the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution and the Net Zero 2050 target. This week has also seen the Court of Appeal deliver its judgment in The Information Commissioner v O’Hanlon, which concerns a refusal to provide environmental information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.