OEP progress report: The hunt for environmental improvement
When you’re being chased by a hungry tiger, any movement is a good thing. Yet if you’re not moving quickly enough, you’ll still be caught.
Environmental improvement is the same: progress is a good thing but we still need to be moving quickly enough to meet our goals, because the natural world won’t wait for our politics to catch up with necessity.
This week, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) published its latest report on progress towards environmental improvement. The report follows a revised version of the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan for England (the EIP), which was published at the end of last year.
This is a critical moment. This report is the first progress report that considers the new Government’s record on the environment. With a frank evaluation of this government’s approach and a new plan as a catalyst, there’s a new chance to reflect and make 2026 a big year for environmental improvement.
But can we outrun the tiger? For this month’s Essential Environment, we’re breaking down the key messages from the latest progress report. For IES and EPIC members, we’ve set out a series of rapid insights, asking whether the hunt for environmental improvement is progressing quickly enough to keep us ahead of legal deadlines.
Joseph Lewis is Head of Policy at the Institution of Environmental Sciences, working to promote the use of the environmental sciences in decision making. Joseph leads the delivery of the IES Policy Programme, standing up for the voice of science, scientists, and the natural world in policy.
Joseph has more than ten years of experience in public policy, including in Parliament and the charity sector. He is particularly passionate about science communication and the role it can play in shaping environmental decisions.
What did the OEP say about the revised EIP?
Alongside its annual progress report, the OEP published a briefing note with an initial assessment of the revised Environmental Improvement Plan. The summary confirms that a full evaluation of the updated EIP will come in future progress reports but offers initial insights on how this plan compares to the previous one.
Some of the key messages in the briefing note are:
- This is a better plan: On its first review, the OEP believes that the revised EIP is better than its predecessor, with a clearer delivery focus and greater coherence with the annual reporting process between the OEP and government.
- Interim targets are welcomed by the OEP: The revised set of targets are broadly seen as a necessary reflection of the reality of implementation, with some more ambitious targets and some less ambitious.
- Implementation is key: The OEP acknowledges the need for stronger, more detailed, and more quantitative delivery plans. Its response also raises concerns about whether delivery resources are adequate, particularly where current levels of action have been insufficient.
- Chemicals need more policy support: The OEP does not view the EIP as a sufficient replacement for a standalone Chemicals Strategy. In our priorities for government, the IES called on government not to drop the key Strategy, which is crucial to ensuring a systemic approach to managing chemicals.
To find out more about the OEP’s first reactions to the revised Environmental Improvement Plan, read the briefing note from the OEP (pdf).
What does the OEP’s progress report say?
This year’s annual progress report from the OEP assesses the period from April 2024 to March 2025, which makes it the first assessment of the new Government’s progress towards environmental improvement. Naturally, it measures that progress against the EIP that existed at the time, rather than the new plan.
The report paints a mixed picture of progress. The OEP assesses three criteria:
- The current state of environmental trends
- Progress within the reporting period (i.e. between 2024 and 2025)
- Whether targets are on track to be met
The overall assessment was that progress has been broadly positive, and better than in last year’s report, but the rate of progress is still currently insufficient, because the positive trend is not fast enough to keep targets on track.
The report’s assessment of 59 past trends was that 24 are improving (-1 from last year), 11 are static (-4 from last year), and 16 are deteriorating (+4 from last year). The OEP considers those evaluations to be “broadly the same”, though there’s been a slight shift from stagnation to deterioration. The overall state of environmental trends is similar, but getting slightly worse over time.
Between 2024 and 2025, the OEP’s assessment is that good progress has been made towards 12 targets or commitments (+2 from last year), mixed progress towards 19 (+2 from last year), and limited progress towards 12 (-3 from last year). That represents a slight shift towards better progress being made between early 2024 and early 2025.
What does that progress mean for meeting targets? The OEP’s evaluation is that the Government is “largely on track towards meeting five, partially on track towards meeting 16, and largely off track towards meeting 21, while the prospects of meeting one target could not be assessed.” That is a tremendous gulf to fill between where we are and where we should be by this point in time.
It's also a step backwards from the last year of the previous government, when the OEP’s assessment was that we were “largely on track towards meeting nine, partially on track towards meeting 12 and largely off track towards meeting 20.” Several of the targets that were on track are now in a less clear position, while not enough has been done to get the others back on track.
Despite those setbacks, the OEP’s overall assessment is “slightly more positive … than the previous one.” The OEP gave credit to the Government for trying to address problems with delivery, noting that future progress would rely on the successful implementation of new policies, particularly the revised EIP.
The OEP’s tentative positivity comes with a caveat: the oversight body sent a clear message in its report that government needs to increase the pace and scale of action to deliver against environmental targets, given the slow progress over recent years.
Analysis: Four key messages from the progress report
What are the key messages beyond the assessment itself? Our policy team breaks down four of the biggest implications of this year’s report in a special insights article: Four key messages from the OEP progress report, which is available to IES professional members and EPIC members.
Read the analysis to find out what the report shows us about government prioritisation of environmental goals, how the OEP is shaping up five years on from the Environment Act, and where the expertise of environmental professionals can fill the gaps in policy delivery.
What next?
As another year goes by, the core message remains clear: ambitious environmental policy relies on effective delivery. That’s why the IES Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) continues to prioritise efforts to make implementation a success.
We are not yet in a position to ‘outrun the tiger’, so we need to speed up. While much of that work will need to come from government, environmental experts have a role to play. The more we are willing to do, the better our chances will be to address environmental challenges and create a country with thriving people, a healthy economy, and a flourishing environment.
Find out more about joining EPIC so that you can elevate your work in environmental delivery, or to share your expertise as a leader in the policy implementation landscape.
Get involved: if you want to support the work of the IES to stand up for science and nature, become an affiliate, or if you’re an environmental professional, join the IES.
- Join the Environmental Policy Implementation Community to start your journey towards expertise in delivering ambitious and effective environmental policy
- Learn more about recent policy developments in our briefing on land and nature policy, or catch up on climate action in the UK and beyond with our briefing on COP30
- Read about the Government’s response to the last cycle of OEP reports in our analysis from 2025
- Find out more by reading the latest articles from Essential Environment, including policy highlights from 2025 and our analysis on the Planning Act and what it means for environmental experts
If you want to learn more about environmental policy or the training we offer for members, please contact Joseph Lewis, Head of Policy (joseph@the-ies.org).
Bibliography and further reading
- Progress in improving the natural environment in England 2024/2025 | The OEP
- Briefing note: OEP initial assessment of EIP 25 | The OEP (pdf)
- Essential insights: Four key messages from the OEP progress report | Essential Environment
- Government’s wildlife targets will be missed in England, watchdog says | The Guardian
- Ghosted by government? Responses to the OEP reports | Essential Environment
- Essential Environment: Land & nature policy 2025 | The IES
- Revised Environmental Improvement Plan | GOV.UK
- COP30: Climate change briefing | The IES
Header image credit: © Sanhanat via Adobe Stock
