The legislation will look to tackle the biggest environmental priorities of our time, ensuring the UK maintains and improves its environmental protections as it leaves the EU.
The Bill will build on the UK's strong track record and sets out a comprehensive and world-leading vision to allow future generations to prosper. Environmental principles will be enshrined in law and measures will be introduced to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can thrive.
Legislation will also create legally-binding environmental improvement targets. A new independent Office for Environmental Protection will be established to scrutinise environmental policy and law, investigate complaints and take enforcement action against public authorities, if necessary, to uphold environmental standards.
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The office's remit will include all climate change legislation, enabling the office to hold the government to account on its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Opening the second reading, Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said: "This Government recognises the profound importance of the great environmental challenges of our time.
"We are the first government to set the goal that this generation should leave the natural environment in a better state than it was bequeathed to us. And this is the first government to make a legally binding commitment to become a net zero carbon economy.
"This is a truly landmark piece of legislation, enshrining environmental principles in law, requiring this government and its successors to demanding and legally binding targets and creating a world-leading environmental watchdog to hold them to account."
Many MPs expressed support for the Bill but raised points about the Office for Environmental Protection's independence and funding, as well as how the targets system will work. Air quality, water and plastics were also discussed.
The Bill will now be scrutinised at the Committee stage before moving onto the next stages of the Parliamentary process for becoming law.
