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 World Trade Organization (WTO) has received a request for consultations from Russia challenging the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment...
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s Article 6.4 Supervisory Body adopted two key standards on 16 May 2025 for...
The first UK-EU summit held on 19 May 2025 resulted in the agreement of a ‘new strategic partnership’ building on the Withdrawal Agreement and the...
A round-up of the latest environmental enforcement, including a major water company fined over £1.4m for using unapproved materials in drinking water...
The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has published a study analysing the clarity of disclosures in Insurance Product...
Latest Environment Practice Notes
Environmental Information Regulations 2004—responding to a requestWhen responding to a request for information, the first step will often be to...
Brexit timelineOn 23 June 2016, the UK held a referendum on its membership of the EU, with a majority voting in favour of the UK leaving the EU. On 29...
Environment—frequently-asked questionsThis Practice Note contains links to Q&As on some of the most frequently-asked questions in environment...
Brexit—impact on environmental lawAs a result of the 23 June 2016 UK referendum on membership of the EU, which voted with a 52% majority voting in...
Climate Risk and Property: Law Society practice note on climate change and propertyIntroductionThe impact of climate change is introducing a new...
Latest Environment Precedents
Pie crust lease of a unit on an estateHM Land Registry Prescribed ClausesLR1. Date of the lease[date]LR2. Title number(s)LR2.1 Landlord's title...
Notice of appeal pursuant to section 80(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 against an abatement notice for a statutory nuisance[name, address...
Abatement notice for a statutory nuisance made under the section 80 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990[name] [District] [Borough] [City]...
Private action for a statutory nuisance—complaint to the magistrates’ court—section 82 of Environmental Protection Act 1990In the [insert name]...
Private action for a statutory nuisance—notice under section 82(6) of Environmental Protection Act 1990[insert address of claimant's instructing...
Latest Environment Q&As
Featured Environment content
Nuisance and the rule in Rylands v Fletcher—common law liability for pollution
Nuisance and the rule in Rylands v Fletcher—common law liability for pollutionPrivate nuisancePrivate nuisance is an unlawful interference with a...
Commercial Property Standard Enquiries (CPSE)—environmental and health and safety enquiries
Commercial Property Standard Enquiries (CPSE)—environmental and health and safety enquiriesCommercial Property Standard Enquiries (CPSEs) are industry...
Sewers and drains—sewerage undertakers’ core duties and powers
Sewers and drains—sewerage undertakers’ core duties and powersA sewerage undertaker is the company appointed by the Secretary of State or Ofwat to be...
BREEAM key requirements
BREEAM key requirementsWhat is BREEAM?The Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) is a method for evaluating...
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...
Contaminated land—meaning of remediation
Contaminated land—meaning of remediationMeaning of remediation'Remediation' is given a relatively wide definition in the Environmental Protection Act...
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...
Sustainable procurement—private sector
Sustainable procurement—private sectorWhat is sustainable procurement?According to the UN Global Marketplace definition: procurement is sustainable...
Lease transactions toolkit (environmental issues)—Commercial Property Standard Enquiries and additional environmental enquiries
Lease transactions toolkit (environmental issues)—Commercial Property Standard Enquiries and additional environmental enquiriesCommercial Property...
Control of asbestos—duty to manage
Control of asbestos—duty to manageThe Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) place various duties on employers to protect employees from...
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,...
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,...
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...
Environmental management—environmental management systems (EMS)
Environmental management—environmental management systems (EMS)What is an environmental management system (EMS)?An environmental management system...
Transporting dangerous goods
Transporting dangerous goodsBrexit11 pm (GMT) on 31 December 2020 marked the end of the Brexit transition/implementation period entered into following...
Waste types and control—asbestos waste
Waste types and control—asbestos wasteIdentifying asbestos wasteAsbestos exists in a number of forms—the three most common are chrysotile (white),...
Harbour authorities—duties and powers
Harbour authorities—duties and powersDuties and powersHarbour authoritiesA harbour authority is an independent self-governing body that is responsible...
Energy Company Obligation (ECO)—key features of ECO1 and ECO2 [Archived]
Energy Company Obligation (ECO)—key features of ECO1 and ECO2 [Archived]Energy Company Obligation (ECO) replaces Carbon Emissions Reduction Target...
Associated legal terms
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.
Directive waste
Any substance or object which the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard (Article 3(1) of the revised Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) (rWFD).
Invasive Non-Native Species
Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) are plants and animals that have been introduced to an area outside of their normal geographic range and which can cause a detrimental impact on biodiversity or cause significant environmental or economic costs.
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