Energy & Climate
The National Emergency Briefing
Britain will be hit by food shortages if we don’t act now on climate, MPs warned.
30 November 2025
The government has updated its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), claiming people across England will benefit from cleaner air and water as a result.
The revised plan, published today (Monday 01 December), sets out a five-year roadmap to tackle the nature and climate crisis, improve public health and support sustainable growth.
The strengthened plan to restore the natural environment is backed by hundreds of millions of pounds to revive iconic landscapes.
However, Greenpeace has warned that the government needs to change its ‘bulldozers and butterflies’ approach to nature protection.
‘This was an opportunity for the government to set out a clear roadmap for how they will deliver their commitment to restoring 30% of land and sea by 2030. What we got instead is a disjointed list of targets, many of them threatened by the government’s own drive to scrap environmental regulations.
‘It’s hard to restore nature or make agriculture more eco-friendly if you’re also creating loopholes for developers and cutting support for sustainable farming. Stricter air pollution targets are a good thing, but how do you square them with a new Heathrow runway and the Silvertown Tunnel?
‘With this government, it’s bulldozers one day, butterflies the next. The UK public wants stronger nature protection and believes this is fundamental to economic growth. If the Labour government is serious about meeting this challenge, it needs to stop giving with one hand and taking away with the other.’
WILL MCCALLUM
Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director
Communities will see improved air quality thanks to action on fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) – a harmful pollutant linked to asthma, lung disease and heart conditions.
Under a new interim target, population exposure to PM2.5 will be cut by 30% by 2030, compared with 2018 levels, supporting better quality of life and reducing pressure on the NHS.
Nature will be boosted with a quarter of a million hectares of wildlife-rich habitats created or restored by 2030 – an area larger than Greater London.
This is 110,000 hectares of habitat more than had been previously committed, supporting the government’s aims for a healthier environment, which is essential to growth.
A new target to halve the presence of damaging invasive species (compared with 25 years ago) will protect native wildlife and farmers’ livelihoods.
This will help prevent new invasive species from becoming established and manage existing invaders like the American Signal Crayfish and Japanese Knotweed.
‘Our environment faces real challenges, with pollution in our waterways, air quality that’s too low in many areas, and treasured species in decline. This plan marks a step change in restoring nature.
‘Our ambitious targets are backed by real action to cut harmful air pollutants, revive habitats and protect the environment for generations to come.’
EMMA REYNOLDS
Environment Secretary
The plan is being supported with new headline commitments and funding announced today.
£500 million has been allocated for Landscape Recovery projects, bringing together farmers and land managers to restore nature at scale, creating wildlife-rich environments, reducing flood risk and improving water quality while unlocking economic opportunities through green jobs and nature-based solutions that support rural prosperity.
‘Everyone, no matter their background or where they live, should enjoy equal access to our beautiful countryside and green spaces. The government’s new commitments to making this a reality and publishing a green paper on access to nature are encouraging. We now need a clear timeline so tangible progress can be made.
‘We also welcome the £500 million landscape recovery fund and ambitious habitat restoration targets, including the target for hedgerow restoration, which was the result of a CPRE campaign.
‘There are still critical gaps in the Plan, not least the monitoring and regulation of light pollution where evidence is growing about its negative impact on both species and human health.’
ROGER MORTLOCK
CEO of CPRE, the countryside charity
£85 million will go towards improving and restoring peatlands, reducing flooding in communities, improving water quality and supporting public health through cleaner air and enhanced access to green spaces for physical and mental wellbeing. This comes alongside £3 million to improve access to nature in Public Forest Estates through facilities including accessible bike trails and all-terrain mobility equipment.
The roadmap includes the first-ever plan to reduce risks from ‘forever chemicals’ (PFAS) to health and the environment, with a review of sewage sludge spreading rules to ensure sustainable practices.
The EIP includes a new Trees Action Plan, plus measures to reduce damaging methane emissions, particularly from agriculture, alongside exploring new domestic combustion measures to drive climate progress.
Environment Act target delivery plans are going to be published for the first time, providing clear progress tracking and fixing the lack of rigour in the previous plan.
The publication follows wider government action on nature and biodiversity, including the reintroduction of beavers to the wild, a commitment to end bee-killing pesticides and the launch of two National Forests.
Government will now work with individuals, communities, farmers, businesses and local authorities to deliver the plan, driving economic growth through green jobs and innovation while ensuring future generations benefit from a greener and more prosperous country.
Landscape Recovery is one of the government nature-friendly farming schemes, alongside Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which also deliver positive outcomes for nature and sustainable food production. Over half of farmland is already in one of these schemes, with an improved SFI offer opening next year.
‘Nature is essential to our economy, our health and our security. The ambitious targets and focus on delivery in the Environmental Improvement Plan brings a welcome clarity to what everybody needs to do for nature recovery.
‘For example, expanding wildlife-rich habitats will sustain our most precious places and species and mean more people can enjoy nature, and more funding for Landscape Recovery will enable farmers to work together to make farms more resilient to climate change as well as helping clean up water and air.‘Natural England is already making progress against the targets with, for example, 12 new National Nature Reserves declared or extended since 2023 through the King’s Series. But long-term success will need action and funding from across business, society and government to create a thriving natural environment for future generations.’
MARIAN SPAIN
Natural England chief executive
Britain will be hit by food shortages if we don’t act now on climate, MPs warned.
‘We need a fundamental political reset, one that recognises access to food, housing and warmth are human rights’.
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