Environment targets are job half-done, say charities
New environmental targets set by the government are a “job half-done” and will fail to halt nature’s decline, say charities.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the goals on Friday after a six-week delay.
The legally-binding targets promise to tackle major problems like the loss of animals and plants, and air pollution.
But critics say that crucial targets to protect water quality and natural sites are missing.
But environmental groups have said the targets are not ambitious enough.
“Simply aiming for slightly more mature in 20 years’ time than our current, the extremely depleted state is far from world-leading, and an abdication of our responsibility to future generations,” said Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts.
Long-term goals to improve overall water quality are essential because they allow the public to hold the government to account on river and waterways pollution, Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link said.
River pollution is a serious problem in England and Wales, with no river free of pollution caused by raw sewage, microplastics, and slurry.
This summer, dozens of warnings were issued after water companies discharged untreated sewage and wastewater into the sea.
Charities warn that this will continue without firm government targets to improve water health.
They also say that without investment in protected natural sites, plant and animal species will not have the right conditions to thrive, meaning that biodiversity will continue to suffer.
The targets undermine the UK’s leadership on the global stage, according to campaigners.
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