| Unit 1: The Current Impact of Environmental Law Within The UK |
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1.1 The Main Legislative Developments
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Environmental law has currently been the focus of much attention. There has, over the last twenty years, been a growing public awareness of environmental issues which is attributable to the reporting of major pollution incidents on a global scale that have occurred throughout the past twenty years. Examples of these are Bhopal and Chernobyl. Certain companies have also been put in the environmental spotlight, particularly pressure groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of The Earth have also served to bring more attention to certain environmental issues. |
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Furthermore, membership of the European Union (EU) acts as a forum for Member States to debate and discuss environmental matters and hence, has raised the status of environmental law and environmental issues in general. Environmental protection is now an important political consideration in many European countries. This is mirrored by election results that favour greener political parties. In the UK, the political party in power at the time is heavily influential over the laws passed in parliament. Currently within the UK, all of the major political parties have agenda's linked to environmental protection. Thus, the current socio-economic and political climate within society will be pivotal to the development and emphasis attributed to environmental law. |