Legal targets for air pollution and wildlife abundance are among the proposals the government is putting forward.
Ministers want legally binding targets for air quality, wildlife, water, waste reduction and resource efficiency.
The proposals include annual goals for average concentrations of fine particulate matter โ air pollution that can affect lung function and worsen conditions like asthma and heart disease.
Air pollution was recorded as a cause of death for the first time in the UK in 2020 in the case of Ella Kissi-Debrah, aged ninewho died after a fatal asthma attack.
The recovery of nature is also part of the plans and could include a new habitat classification system.
The UK has been called one of the most nature-depleted countries, and the government has committed to protecting 30% of the land by 2030 to support wildlife recovery.
The charity The Wildlife Trusts has suggested a "wild belt" designation to protect the land being restored.
The government's proposals will go out for an eight-week consultation and are part of obligations under the post-Brexit Environment Act.
โToday we are introducing a new approach to restoring our natural world, including enhanced protections for habitats and new long-term legally binding environmental targets,โ Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said.
"EU directives have not done enough to stop the decline of nature," he added.
"They have led our experts to be stewards of a process, rather than stewards of the environment. Now we have the freedom to do things better."
Greenpeace UK chief policy officer Rebecca Newsom said: "This is Boris Johnson's chance to confirm robust plans that will deliver on the government's promise to fully or highly protect at least 30% of England's land and seas. by 2030, and take truly radical action. action to stop the torrent of plastic entering our natural world.
"These announcements must include strong targets to reduce single-use plastic by 50% by 2025 and ban industrial fishing in UK Marine Protected Areas as a matter of urgency."
