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<p>In June the Government published its second 25 Year Environment Plan Progress Report.
This second report describes where progress has been made towards achieving the long-term
vision of the plan. It also highlights the challenges that still remain in improving
the environment within a generation and which we are committed to addressing.</p><p>In
the last 12 months we have taken significant steps forward in delivering our environmental
commitments outlined in our 25 Year Environment Plan. We became the first major economy
to legislate for net zero and underlining our commitment to achieving this target,
we launched a consultation on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol and
diesel vehicles to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible, including
hybrids for the first time. We have also taken action to conserve our marine environment,
including by designating the third tranche of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones in
May 2019. We are also investing £640 million in a new Nature for Climate Fund to support
woodland creation and peatland restoration. Action under each of the goal areas of
the 25 Year Environment Plan is set out in the report.</p><p>A major step in implementing
our environmental ambition has been bringing forward the first Environment Bill for
more than 20 years to help leave the environment in a better state than that in which
we found it. The Bill, alongside our strengthened Agriculture and Fisheries Bills,
sets a new legal foundation for government action to improve the environment. It will
place the environment at the heart of Government policy making and ensure that this
Government – and future Governments – are held to account if they fail to uphold their
environmental duties, including meeting net-zero by 2050, and wider long-term legally
binding targets on biodiversity, air quality, water, and resource and waste efficiency
established under the Bill.</p>
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