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) and the Welsh Government have launched a consultation on proposals to give local...
The Prime Minister's Office and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) have announced an enforcement package targeting illegal...
This week's edition of Environment weekly highlights includes a new Ofwat consultation on additional cost allowances for water companies and a new...
The European Commission has opened a consultation on two draft delegated regulations proposing changes to the classification of certain waste under...
Ofwat has updated its Rules of Procedure to reflect changes to the membership of three Board committees. The August 2026 amendments provide that the...
Latest Environment Practice Notes
This Practice Note looks at policy and legislation relevant to biodiversity. It considers:•policy framework, including:◦the 25-Year Environment Plan...
Effects of flooding on underlying assetsFlooding can give rise to a number of issues in the context of a banking or finance transaction. This Practice...
This Practice Note links to news on sustainable finance, including green loans and green bonds, that has been published since 2019. Due to the global...
This Practice Note provides information on sustainability linked loans (SLL) and key issues to consider when drafting and negotiating a...
Failure to comply with emissions trading schemes can result in civil penalties, operating bans or detention of aircraft. It is therefore important for...
Latest Environment Precedents
HM Land Registry Prescribed ClausesLR1. Date of the lease[date]LR2. Title number(s)LR2.1 Landlord's title number(s)[title number(s) out of which this...
This Agreement is made on [insert date] 20[insert year]Parties1[Insert name of Client] of [insert address of Client] (‘the Client’ which term shall...
Parties1[insert name of licensor] [of [insert address] OR company number [insert company number] whose registered office is at [insert address]] (the...
This Precedent clause is for a supply agreement requiring the supplier/contractor to procure energy from renewable sources. The clause future proofs...
ARCHIVED: This Precedent has been archived and is not maintained.These training materials consist of template PowerPoint slides that can be used as...
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
Climate change levy
The climate change levy (CCL) is a mandatory tax on UK business energy use, charged at the time of supply, known as taxable supplies. It is administered by HMRC but collected by energy suppliers via energy bills.
Hazardous waste
Any waste which is hazardous waste for the purposes of the Hazardous Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2005, SI 2005/894 (as amended).
Land contamination
Land contamination is a general term used to describe any land that may be contaminated in some way, but not necessarily at levels that attract contaminated land regime liability.
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