Environmental law covers all areas of law which deal with the environment. This includes areas such as pollution, noise, water and wild life laws. These are put in place to protect the environment that we live in and stop it from being harmed or destructed. More recently environmental law has also put measures in place to try and limit climate change.
Environmental legislation has set restrictions on industries and the public concerning pollution. Industries have limits on the amount of pollution they can release into the air and have had to change their equipment to ensure that it comes up to standards of emissions set out in environmental law. The public must make sure that they are careful about the things that they burn and ensure that they dispose of old appliances such as fridges correctly. Another important way to reduce pollution in both industry and at home is to recycle as much waste as possible. If you do not already recycle you should get in contact with your local council to see what materials they recycle and the days that they do collections. If your local council does not recycle specific materials you can look into taking them to recycling facilities yourself.
Noise is another area that is monitored by this legislation. It refers mainly to the noise made by industry but can also include nuisance noise made by the public. Noise will be considered a nuisance if it goes on past a certain time and disturbs the peace. Local authorities can act to reduce nuisance noise levels by issuing the perpetrators with abatement notices. An abatement notice will state whether the noise must cease all together or outline hours of the day that it is permitted.
Environmental law also covers water. This includes water pollution, beaches are now rated in regards to the levels of pollution in the water and authorities are working continuously to reduce the levels of pollution in lakes and rivers. Environmental law states that it is illegal to pollute water through unauthorised activities.
Wild life is also protected. It is illegal to abuse wildlife and to interfere with animals which are protected. Wild life law is instrumental in protecting endangered animals and plants. Anyone seen to be breaking these laws may face imprisonment. There are also restrictions on the kind of plants and animals that you bring into the UK from abroad. These restrictions are put in place to protect wildlife and the ecosystem.
Climate change has been one of the key factors in environmental law as of late. Countries across the world have signed agreements such as the Kyoto protocol which sets out targets in reducing carbon emissions in the countries that signed it. In the UK specifically environmental law now includes the Climate Change Act 2008 which states that the UK pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 as to what they were in 1990. There are now also rules in place regarding the energy efficiency of new housing which focus on insulation, heating and electricity consumption.
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