ENVIRONMENT 2nd year
Comprised of the separate countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom is home to more than 66.5 million people living within almost 95,000 square miles. The UK also has roughly 5,000 miles of coastline, temperate forests, rolling hills, mountain ranges, and low-lying wetlands.
The UK, along with the US and other British colonies, is widely credited with starting the worldwide Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. Industrial production in the 18th century UK was fueled by raw materials shipped in from her various colonies.
In turn, the British exported their culture and values system. By the middle of the 20th century, most UK colonies had gained their independence.
Environmental Issues of the United Kingdom
The UK has been a highly-populated island nation for centuries and the country’s current environmental issues are a culmination of these years of interactions between the British and their natural surroundings. These interactions have somewhat intensified since World War II as increased national wealth and globalization have demanded the production of more goods, services, and infrastructure. As a result of these increased demands, the UK ecosystem has yielded less and less over the years. For example, UK soils were considered poorly managed and “degraded” by the UK National Ecosystem Assessment in 2011.
Grazing, air pollution, and the forces of climate change have significantly affected the mountainous regions of the UK, according to the UK NEA. Grazing and agricultural activities have also affected the country’s grassy lowlands.
A Reservoir in the Elan Valley Cambrian Mountains, Wales UK. Drinking water in the UK was on a serious decline until action was taken in the 1980s to improve its quality.
United Kingdom: Environmental Issues, Policies, and Clean Technology
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Comprised of the separate countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom is home to more than 66.5 million people living within almost 95,000 square miles. The UK also has roughly 5,000 miles of coastline, temperate forests, rolling hills, mountain ranges, and low-lying wetlands.
The UK, along with the US and other British colonies, is widely credited with starting the worldwide Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. Industrial production in the 18th century UK was fueled by raw materials shipped in from her various colonies.
In turn, the British exported their culture and values system. By the middle of the 20th century, most UK colonies had gained their independence.
Environmental Issues of the United Kingdom
The UK has been a highly-populated island nation for centuries and the country’s current environmental issues are a culmination of these years of interactions between the British and their natural surroundings. These interactions have somewhat intensified since World War II as increased national wealth and globalization have demanded the production of more goods, services, and infrastructure.
As a result of these increased demands, the UK ecosystem has yielded less and less over the years. For example, UK soils were considered poorly managed and “degraded” by the UK National Ecosystem Assessment in 2011.
Grazing, air pollution, and the forces of climate change have significantly affected the mountainous regions of the UK, according to the UK NEA. Grazing and agricultural activities have also affected the country’s grassy lowlands.
A Reservoir in the Elan Valley Cambrian Mountains, Wales UK. Drinking water in the UK was on a serious decline until action was taken in the 1980s to improve its quality
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A Reservoir in the Elan Valley Cambrian Mountains, Wales UK. Drinking water in the UK was on a serious decline until action was taken in the 1980s to improve its quality. Image Credits: David Hughes/shutterstock.com
The inland quality of the UK’s freshwater supply declined significantly after the Second World War until the 1980s when the government enacted a series of policies aimed at improving freshwater quality.
On the other hand, marine and coastal habitats have declined significantly over the last 60 years. Demand for coastal housing, tourism, and industrial facilities has been behind this decline. Not only has the quality of these ecosystems declined, but the disappearance of coastal marshes and soft cliffs has increased the risk for further erosion and coastal flooding, according to the UK NEA.
Rising seawater temperatures and exploitation of marine resources have led to a serious loss of quality in UK marine ecosystems. Coastal fisheries are in decline and widespread trawling has significantly disrupted the coastal seabed.
In addition to this, there has been a recent focus on saving endangered species in the UK. Beloved creatures, such as the hedgehog, have declined from 36 million to only 1 million in the last 70 years. Other animals like the red squirrel and the tortoiseshell butterfly have become increasingly rare due to the destruction of habitat and the introduction of non-native predators.
A Clean Future for the UK?
The UK is currently in the midst of ‘Brexit’ and it is believed that this will have major consequences for environmental law since EU law is integrated tightly into the UK’s. However, it is believed that most of the environmental policies introduced within the 4 decades of being in the EU will remain. It will now be up to the UK government to implement stricter environmental laws to meet the commitments that have been promised to the public.
1. how many hedgehogs have gone?
2.There has been been a serious loss in what?
3.When did UK colonies gain their independence?
4.What is Brexit ?
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