Energy and the Environment

Environmental issues

Although Britain is densely populated, it still

has large areas of open countryside, including National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Royal Parks. Many special

sites are protected because they are of architectural or historical value (for

example, see Stonehenge above). In addition

to the Government's Department of the Environment there are a number of voluntary organisations which are involved in protecting buildings and the countryside.

Over the last twenty years there have been changes in patterns of agriculture and urban development! Traditional heavy industries

such as iron and steel have declined and

inner-city areas have declined with them. At

the same time, new towns have been built and

the pressure on the countryside from roads

and houses has increased. People have moved away from the big cities and there has been a

battle to keep parts of the 'Green Belt' from development.

Changes in agriculture have meant bigger, farms with bigger_fields, with less room for

plants and wildlife in hedges, and an

increased danger of soil erosion in some

areas. Mineral workings, intensive forestry

and the use of nitrates in fertilisers, as well

as the general increase in the amount of

pesticides, have created concern for the future.

In some ways, Britain is a less polluted country than it was thirty years ago. Coal

burning is strictly controlled in areas like London, which no longer suffers the

poisonous smogs that killed people in the 1950s. Attempts have been made to landscape areas of wasteland, to repair and restore the

old canals and to clеаn up Britain's rivers. But despite these efforts various serious threats to

the environment remain: acid rain caused partly by sulphur emissions from power stations, the rise in the number of cars and lorries on the roads, the pollution of the sea,

the destruction of old buildings and the

spread of housing. There is continuing debate on the safety of nuclear power and the possibility of alternative sources of energy.

Comprehension

Use the information on these two pages to answer the questions.

1. Are most National Parks found in highland or lowland areas? Name four of them.

2. riew much of the land in England and Wales is protected? Who is responsible for protecting the environment? What examples of protection are given?

3. How has agriculture in Britain changed?

4. What has happened to the London smogs and why?

Discussion

Work in pairs.

1. List four things which threaten the environment and suggest what can be done about them.

2. Which parts of your own country are most in need of protection: cities or the countryside? Give reasons for your decision.

Looking after the environment!

The Forestry Commission manages nearly 900,000 hectares of forest in Britain. Its main purpose is timber production, although it also tries to develop its forests for recreation by the general public.

In many parts of upland Britain the Forestry Commission planted dense squares of. evergreen trees which did not fit in with the irregular native woods, but modern state-run forests are planted with more thought for their effect on the environment.

Durdle Door, Dorset

The National Trust was set up in 1895. It is a voluntary society with a million and a half members and it now owns more than 200,000 hectares, particularly in the Lake District and North Wales. It has 190 houses open to the public, 51 villages, 38 pubs and nearly 12,000 farms. Durdle Door, on the Dorset Coastal Path, is part of its Enterprise Neptune scheme, which protects 800 km of coast.

The North Sea is in danger of becoming poisoned to death. More than 70 million tonnes of industrial waste are dumped into it each year. If river pollution is included, at least 50,000 different chemicals get into the North Sea, including heavy metals like

North Sea pollution

mercury, lead and arsenic, highly poisonous chlorinated compounds and fertilisers which can kill fish and make shellfish unsafe to eat.

Until the 1960s, mining waste in the coalfields was left on the surface in ugly heaps. These are now landscaped and grassed over to provide a safer and cleaner environment.

The disposal of nuclear and other dangerous waste continues to be a problem as available land decreases. It is estimated that an area of countryside the size of London disappears into urban, industrial and recreational use every twelve years.

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT S 57