Domain review
Environment and Climate
Measures the environmental and climate conditions the country depends on.
Environment and Climate is currently rated Strained. The domain score is driven primarily by Bathing water quality, Climate adaptation readiness and Wild bird populations (decline since 1970). Data confidence is medium across its component metrics.
Component indicators
Environment and Climate · Metrics
2025
Verified official value from Environment Agency (storm overflow spill duration, England), accessed 2026-06-23.
Evidence file
Storm overflow spill duration (England)
Latest reading
2025
Scoring breakdown
Source
Event Duration Monitoring, storm overflow annual returns
- Update frequency
- Annual
- Reliability
- medium
Provenance
- Provider
- Environment Agency
- Series ID
- storm overflow spill duration, England
- Frequency
- annual
- Accessed
- 23 June 2026
Known weakness
Event Duration Monitors have increased coverage over time, meaning rising totals may partly reflect improved monitoring rather than worsening environmental performance.
Notes
Verified official value from Environment Agency (storm overflow spill duration, England), accessed 2026-06-23.
2023
Seed value. No published official figure exists for this indicator yet, so a provisional placeholder is shown in its place.
Evidence file
Climate adaptation readiness
Latest reading
2023
Scoring breakdown
Source
Progress in adapting to climate change reports
- Update frequency
- Biennial
- Reliability
- medium
Provenance
Seed value, not yet sourced from official data. Excluded from scoring.
Known weakness
CCC assessments are qualitative expert judgements rather than quantitative outcomes; biennial frequency means conditions can deteriorate significantly between reports. Latest reference: CCC 2025 progress report: 0 of 46 adaptation outcomes rated good for delivery (CCC 2025).
Notes
Seed value. No published official figure exists for this indicator yet, so a provisional placeholder is shown in its place.
Data caveat
No published official figure exists for this indicator yet; a provisional placeholder is shown for transparency and is excluded from all domain and national scoring.
2025 (provisional)
Verified official value from Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (desnz_ghg), accessed 2026-08-25.
Evidence file
Greenhouse-gas emissions
Latest reading
2025 (provisional)
Scoring breakdown
Source
UK greenhouse gas emissions statistics
- Update frequency
- Annual
- Reliability
- high
Provenance
- Provider
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
- Series ID
- desnz_ghg
- Frequency
- Annual
- Accessed
- 25 August 2026
Known weakness
UK territorial basis excludes consumption/imported emissions and treats aviation and shipping separately; figures are revised each year and final data lags by about 14 months.
Notes
Verified official value from Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (desnz_ghg), accessed 2026-08-25.
2024
Verified official value from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra_air_quality), accessed 2026-06-14.
Evidence file
Air pollution (PM2.5)
Latest reading
2024
Scoring breakdown
Source
Air quality statistics (population-weighted PM2.5)
- Update frequency
- Annual
- Reliability
- high
Provenance
- Provider
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Series ID
- defra_air_quality
- Frequency
- Annual
- Accessed
- 14 June 2026
Known weakness
England, from DEFRA's modelled population-weighted PCM data; concentrations are weather-sensitive year to year and the statutory 10 micrograms target is assessed on a three-year mean.
Notes
Verified official value from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra_air_quality), accessed 2026-06-14.
2025
Verified official value from Environment Agency (ea_bathing_water), accessed 2026-08-25.
Evidence file
Bathing water quality
Latest reading
2025
Scoring breakdown
Source
Bathing water quality classifications
- Update frequency
- Annual
- Reliability
- high
Provenance
- Provider
- Environment Agency
- Series ID
- ea_bathing_water
- Frequency
- Annual
- Accessed
- 25 August 2026
Known weakness
England; the current four-class system began in 2015 (no comparable earlier data), the 2020 season was cancelled for COVID, and the 2024 fall partly reflects 27 newly designated, often-poorer river sites.
Notes
Verified official value from Environment Agency (ea_bathing_water), accessed 2026-08-25.
2024
Verified official value from DEFRA (defra_wild_birds), accessed 2026-06-16.
Evidence file
Wild bird populations (decline since 1970)
Latest reading
2024
Scoring breakdown
Neutral: the latest reading matches the one before it
Source
DEFRA: Wild bird populations in the UK
- Update frequency
- Annual
- Reliability
- high
Provenance
- Provider
- DEFRA
- Series ID
- defra_wild_birds
- Frequency
- Annual
- Accessed
- 16 June 2026
Known weakness
Stored as % decline from 1970; the full annual index is in the DEFRA dataset. Down 4% over 2019–2024.
Notes
Verified official value from DEFRA (defra_wild_birds), accessed 2026-06-16.
Historical values
Metric trends
Historical values
Storm overflow spill duration (England)
Latest
1.87million hours of monitored spills per yearStorm overflow spill duration (England) · million hours of monitored spills per year · reported values, not stress scores.
Historical values
Climate adaptation readiness
Latest
34.8% CCC adaptation outcomes with credible plansClimate adaptation readiness · % CCC adaptation outcomes with credible plans · reported values, not stress scores.
Historical values
Greenhouse-gas emissions
Latest
367MtCO2e (territorial, net)Greenhouse-gas emissions · MtCO2e (territorial, net) · reported values, not stress scores.
Historical values
Air pollution (PM2.5)
Latest
7.06micrograms per cubic metre (population-weighted)Air pollution (PM2.5) · micrograms per cubic metre (population-weighted) · reported values, not stress scores.
Historical values
Bathing water quality
Latest
87.3% of bathing waters rated Excellent or GoodBathing water quality · % of bathing waters rated Excellent or Good · reported values, not stress scores.
Historical values
Wild bird populations (decline since 1970)
Latest
18% decline since 1970Wild bird populations (decline since 1970) · % decline since 1970 · reported values, not stress scores.
Data provenance
Sources for this domain
| Organisation | Dataset | Type | Frequency | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environment Agency | Event Duration Monitoring, storm overflow annual returns | Administrative | Annual | Source ↗ |
| Climate Change Committee | Progress in adapting to climate change reports | Independent | Biennial | Source ↗ |
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | UK greenhouse gas emissions statistics | Official | Annual | Source ↗ |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Air quality statistics (population-weighted PM2.5) | Official | Annual | Source ↗ |
| Environment Agency | Bathing water quality classifications | Official | Annual | Source ↗ |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | DEFRA: Wild bird populations in the UK | Official | Annual | Source ↗ |
How the Environment and Climate domain is scored
The domain score is the median of the 6 component metric stress scores. Using the median reduces sensitivity to a single anomalous metric.
Each metric stress score is calculated as:
metric_stress = clamp(0.6 × level_score + 0.3 × trend_score + 0.1 × volatility_score, 0, 100)The Environment and Climate domain carries a weight of 5% in the national index. Full methodology: methodology page.
International context · vs OECD
Greenhouse-gas emissions per capita
Territorial all-greenhouse-gas emissions per person; UK is well below the OECD average.
OECD GHG inventories (UNFCCC) ↗ · 2023 · context only, not part of the score
Sensitivity analysis
What would move this domain?
The Environment and Climate domain score is most sensitive to its two highest-stress indicators. Meaningful improvement in either of the following metrics would be the most direct path to improving the domain score:
- 69
Bathing water quality
Share of designated bathing waters classified Excellent or Good, a tangible measure of water-environment quality.
- 51
Climate adaptation readiness
Percentage of Climate Change Committee adaptation outcomes assessed as having credible delivery plans, measuring preparedness for climate change impacts.
Related analysis
Deep dives related to Environment and Climate
The storm overflow record: how often each water company spills, into which rivers, and whether it is getting better or worse.
Over 1.2 million incidents a year by council, what is dumped and where, and the gap between incidents and prosecutions.
UK emissions allocated to local areas fell 46.4 per cent, from 655.8 to 351.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent between 2005 and 2024, with transport now the largest single source, and a per head league across all 361 local authorities in the four nations where a single power station or peatland can dominate an area total.
Every renewable and low carbon power project: what is operating, what is consented and waiting to be built, by technology, company and nation.
Household recycling rates by council, 42 per cent nationally and ranging from 17 to 64, and how local carbon emissions per person have fallen 53 per cent since 2005.
How clean the air is across England, the fall in fine particle pollution since 2018, and how almost every area still exceeds the World Health Organisation guideline.
About 6.3 million properties in England are in areas at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea and surface water, the split by source and by the nine regions, and how the total could reach around 8 million by mid century.
The Environment Agency's 2025 classifications for England's 451 designated bathing waters: two thirds rated Excellent, the 32 waters still rated Poor named, and how the Excellent or Good share has slipped since 2019.