National Action

Contaminated Land and Flytipping

Contaminated land areas can often be restored through woodland planting, which helps to improve the productivity of the land in the long-term, meanwhile improving the visual environmental quality, and providing greenspace for people and wildlife.

The government’s policy on contaminated land is to:

• Prevent the creation of new contamination
• Identify and remove unacceptable risks to human health and the environment
• Seek to bring damaged land back into beneficial use

• 60% of all new houses should be built on brownfield sites to relieve pressure on greenfield land.

The Environment Agency have launched a campaign on flytipping that will encourage people to report illegal waste. They are asking people to phone 0800 80 70 60 free of charge with as much information as possible. This will help the Environment Agency to investigate flytipping incidents and prosecute offenders where possible.

Air Pollution

As air pollution is an issue that impacts across national boundaries, countries need to work together to tackle it effectively. The Air Quality Framework Directive sets out a strategic framework for tackling air quality across Europe by setting mandatory limits and target values for a number of key pollutants. Member states are obliged to meet these by 2010. The Directive also lays down the requirements for assessing air quality and making improvements.

In the UK, the Air Quality Framework Directive is implemented through the ‘National Air Quality Strategy’ This was established in 1997 and set out the actions that need to be taken to ensure that everyone can enjoy a level of air quality in public places that poses no significant risk to health. The strategy sets non-mandatory limits on the emissions for 8 major air pollutants, (including: Carbon Monoxide, Lead, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Sulphur Dioxide) and presents the framework with which to tighten the emissions from a range of sources including industry and transport. The aim is to achieve these targets between 2003 and 2008. The targets are similar and in some cases more stringent than the EU limit values.

The latest air quality figures (2005) show that the UK has already met, or is on course to achieve compliance with the target values set out in the EU Directive.

Other policies helping to tackle air pollution include transport policies to reduce car use, as this will lead to reductions in Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide and particles. Also, measures to reduce demand for domestic energy through promoting increased energy efficiency will lead to less greenhouse gases being produced, and help to improve air quality.

Water Quality

The ‘ Water Framework Directive’ was established in October 2000, and addresses issues of water quality and affordability. It is an EU strategy, and requires all inland and coastal waters to reach "good status" by 2015. It also sets out a timetable for specific targets to be met.

Environmental Equity

The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy in November 2001 and the 1st annual progress report in 2003 sets out the government’s overall goal of seeking an end to the problem of fuel poverty. The Fuel Poverty Advisory Group for England and Wales has been set up to report on the progress of the government fuel poverty strategy.

• The first target is to reach those most vulnerable to cold related ill health (the elderly and young) by 2010.
• Once progress has been made on these groups, the aim is to completely eliminate fuel poverty in England by 2018.

There are many actions that can be taken to tackle fuel poverty, but the major one of these is to ensure that there is improved energy efficiency in housing.

Warm Front is the government’s main programme for tackling fuel poverty in the private sector in England. The programme was launched in 2000 and provides packages of insulation and heating measures worth up to £2,500 to private sector households in receipt of certain benefits.

The Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) was introduced for the period 2002-2005. Under this commitment, electricity and gas suppliers must meet targets for the promotion of improvements in domestic energy efficiency. They can do this by encouraging and assisting consumers to take up energy effciency measures such as insulation and heating measures, and energy efficient appliances and light bulbs.

The second phase of the EEC runs from 1 st April 2005 to 31 st March 2008, and ‘Energy Efficiency: the government’s plan for Action’ states the government’s intention to entend the EEC to 2011.