National governance strategies and initiatives for net zero
Contributors to the Horizon Scan identified strategic issues related to the overarching opportunities and challenges of energy policy and net zero.

Environmental principles inform legal and political frameworks that aim to minimise the ill-effects of human activity on the environment. In the EU (Withdrawal Act) 2018, the UK has committed to incorporating a set of environmental principles into UK legislation. This POSTnote summarises these principles and considers potential opportunities and challenges surrounding their implementation post-Brexit.
EU Environmental Principles (367 KB , PDF)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/PN590
Environmental principles inform legal frameworks that relate to environmental protection or sustainable development. Article 191(2) of TFEU sets out four main environmental principles that must guide policy within the scope of EU law (CBP8132). These have been influential in formulating a range of EU directives and regulatory actions, and constitute the main focus of this note. The principles listed are:
Key points in this POSTnote include:
POSTnotes are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders and are externally peer reviewed. POST would like to thank interviewees and peer reviewers for kindly giving up their time during the preparation of this briefing, including:
*Denotes people who acted as external reviewers of the briefing
EU Environmental Principles (367 KB , PDF)
Contributors to the Horizon Scan identified strategic issues related to the overarching opportunities and challenges of energy policy and net zero.
Climate change has implications for the health of UK citizens. How prepared are health and care systems?
Applications are open for the 2025/2026 British Ecological Society (BES) Fellowship. Open to British Ecological Society members currently studying for a PhD in a UK university. Apply by 23:59 on Wednesday 11 June 2025.