Environmental Principles Policy Statement EPPS
The Environmental Audit Committee. Environmental sustainability and housing growth: Sixth Report of Session 2024–26 HC 439 describes the five principles set out in the Environment Act 2021 and effective in law since November 2023. These are:
- "Integration: The principle that environmental protection should be integrated into the policy making.
- Prevention: Government policy should aim to prevent environmental harm.
- Rectification at Source: Environmental damage should be addressed at its source, thereby avoiding the need to remedy the impacts later.
- Polluter Pays: Where possible, the cost of pollution should be borne by those causing it, rather than those who are impacted by the effects of environmental damage.
- Precautionary Principle: Where there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, a lack of full scientific certainty will not be used as a reason to postpone cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation."
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