Gap analysis: Is environmental policy on track in the UK?
The environment is complex, made up of systems that are intertwined and hard to sum up in simple terms. As a result, it can be hard to know where we are making progress, where we are regressing, and where things are not moving quickly enough.
We are nearly half way through the current term of the UK Parliament, with all the prospects of another election soon now that a new Prime Minister has taken over.
Whatever comes next, it is an ideal time to take stock. This is our 'mid-term review', an analysis of how much progress has been made against the priorities we set out for policy makers at the time of the last election, and exactly what the new Prime Minister has inherited.
This report was published in October 2026, so reflects the state of environmental policy at the time it was written. While we will make periodic updates, it may not always reflect every policy announcement. For the latest news, check out Essential Environment.
Has the UK delivered on priorities from environmental experts?
In our recommendations to UK Government at the time of the last election, we made 11 core thematic recommendations, which were broken down into more than 200 actions to support delivery.
Figure 1 shows the overall state of progress against our recommendations, and overwhelmingly they are either unmet or there has only been partial progress towards meeting them. Figure 2 shows which areas of the environment are making progress, and which are lagging behind. More progress has been made on issues around land and water, in line with planning and water reforms. Progress on the Circular Economy remains slow and off track due to delayed plans.
Explore our recommendations
What next?
This gap analysis is just one part of our work to help deliver environmental outcomes through policy:
- Our Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) works with local authorities and environmental experts to deliver policy in practice. It has nearly 1000 members connected with a purpose: getting things done.
- We support members to develop their own policy skills, including through our training on ‘Understanding environmental policy’ and 'Influencing and Engaging with policy'.
- Through Essential Environment, we keep IES members up-to-date with the latest developments, implications of the most important policy changes, and briefings on the latest changes affecting water, air quality, and land and nature.
- The IES recently took stock of how we can reconnect environmental targets with credible outcomes, leading to our report on 'The Golden Thread of Governance'.
Through these recommendations, a renewed focus on delivery, and a commitment to a transformative approach, it is still possible to achieve a country with thriving people, a healthy economy, and a flourishing environment.
With the help of our members, the IES is ready to lead the way, accelerating towards a more sustainable society.
If you want to support the work of the IES, you can become an affiliate, or if you’re a professional in the environmental sector working with science, consider joining the IES.
Header image credit: © Michael | Adobe Stock
