Street-by-street maps to reveal where England’s poorest communities face worst environmental risks

Environment Agency and Natural England launch official tools showing where heat, flooding, pollution, noise and lack of green space overlap with deprivation and ill health

England’s poorest communities facing the heaviest burden from heat, flooding, air pollution and lack of green space will be identified street by street under new official mapping tools launched today.

The Environment Agency and Natural England said the tools would show where environmental risks overlap with deprivation and poor health, giving councils and public bodies clearer evidence on where to target spending, planning decisions and public health action.

The maps, launched at the start of London Climate Week, are designed to help identify neighbourhoods where climate and environmental pressures are compounding existing social inequality.

Officials said the data could help prioritise measures such as urban greening, housing retrofit, heat-resilient design standards and targeted public health responses in the areas most exposed to overlapping risks.

John Leyland, executive director of environment and business at the Environment Agency, said: “Protecting communities from environmental pressures is central to our work at the Environment Agency, but we know that some communities face greater pressures than others.

“That’s why we have developed these tools which provide for the first time a clear picture of environmental pressures across England – so that we can direct our resources where they’re needed most by the communities we serve.”

David Drake, director for people and nature at Natural England, said the organisation’s work on green infrastructure, spatial data and nature-based solutions had helped shape the design of the tools.

He said: “Decision-makers now have something they haven’t had before: a consistent, high-resolution evidence base covering the whole of England that can tell us, at a glance, where environmental disadvantage is greatest so that we can take action.”

The Index of Multiple Environmental Deprivation, known as IMED, maps cumulative environmental pressures across England, including climate risks, air quality, flood risk, noise and access to green space.

The Environmental Equity Index, or EEI, adds socio-economic and health indicators to show where those pressures combine with wider deprivation and poorer health outcomes.

Used together, the tools are intended to show where communities face the greatest combined burden and help local authorities, government departments, integrated care boards, planning bodies, NGOs, consultancies and researchers take more targeted action.

Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth, said the launch marked a significant step towards improving environmental information and justice.

He said: “We’ve known for a long time that some communities are disproportionately affected by environmental harm and exposed on multiple fronts. So today’s launch, which sees these compounding threats tracked officially for the first time, is a significant step towards improving access to information and justice on the environment.”

He added: “With these tools, communities and councils can gain a clear understanding of the main environmental risks locally, as well as which areas need to be prioritised for action.”

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