A Q&A guide to environment law in the UK (England and Wales).

This Q&A provides a high-level overview of environmental law and practice, and looks at key practical issues including emissions to air and water; environmental impact assessments; waste; contaminated land and environmental issues in transactions.

This resource may be affected by Brexit. Please note the law-stated date of the resource, and that it may not incorporate all recent developments. The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. The transition period ended on 31 December 2020 (see Brexit essentials: Q&As on agreements and operation of UK law: What happened at the end of the transition period?). This Country Q&A will be updated in line with our usual publication schedule following the end of transition (see Guide to assessing legal change after end of post-Brexit transition period and UK law after end of post-Brexit transition period: overview). If you require more specific information, please see Beyond Brexit: the legal implications.