Conclusions
1. It is not possible
to measure precisely whether, as the Prime Minister intended,
this is the "greenest Government ever". It is possible
however to assess the state of progress in particular areas of
the environment. In none of the 10 environmental areas we have
examined is satisfactory progress being made despite the necessary
urgency. We have assessed biodiversity, air pollution and flooding
as 'red' risks, and thus areas of particular concern, in our 'scorecard
assessment'. These are areas where the environment has clearly
deteriorated since 2010 or where progress has been at a pace unlikely
to put improvement on a satisfactory trajectory by the end of
the 2015-2020 Parliament. (Paragraph 21)
2. Data on the state
of the environment is available through the Biodiversity 2020
Indicators and the Sustainable Development Indicators, providing
a useful insight on progress (and deterioration). There are, however,
as the Natural Capital Committee have reported, "crucial
evidence gaps relating to the condition of individual natural
assets". (Paragraph 26)
3. Further efforts
still need to be made to ensure environmental considerations are
also integrated into policy-making, not least because of the commitment
and leadership that will be required to engage with the development
of the UN global Sustainable Development Goals by 2015. Environmental
protection requires natural capital—the ecosystem benefits
we get from the environment—to be fully taken into account
in Government policy-making, both for existing and future policy
programmes. That requires the environment to be measured and valued,
and for decision-making to be founded on a clear understanding
of how policies may help or harm all aspects of the environment.
(Paragraph 55)
4. Regulation is the
essential underpinning of environmental protection. Many of those
affected welcome regulation that is strong and consistent because
it produces a level playing field and greater certainty for business.
The Balance of Competencies review has, in the Government's own
words, "increased environmental standards". Regulation
has in some areas been supplemented to good effect by public engagement
and voluntary approaches. Fiscal measures however have so far
been little used as an environmental policy lever. Overall, the
range of policy levers has been piecemeal, without any overarching
system for identifying how different approaches might best be
used to protect different areas of the environment. And there
is no system for holding the Government to account for its overall
long-term performance across the 10 environmental areas we have
examined in this report, nor for reporting progress on such a
broad front. (Paragraph 56)
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