DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (412/07) issued by
The Government News Network on 9 November 2007
The eleventh
edition of The Environment in your Pocket is published today by
Defra. It is the annual booklet that makes readily accessible
environmental trends and statistics on climate change, air
quality, water quality, land use, waste and recycling wildlife and
other environmental issues.
It includes several environmental indicators of sustainable
development, and contains also a section looking at pressures on
the environment - such as energy use, transport, pollution
incidents and household consumption - and at spending to mitigate
the effects of some pressures. The Environment in your Pocket 2007
also includes a section summarising some key results from
Defra's recent Survey of Public Attitudes and Behaviours
towards the Environment.
Examples of trends reported in the booklet include:
* When asked about various actions that could be seen a
potentially wasteful, almost a quarter of people said that they
always or very often "keep the tap running when brushing
their teeth", 18 per cent always or very often "leave
the TV on standby overnight", 12 per cent "fill a kettle
with more water than they'll use" and 11 per cent always
or very often "leave their mobile phone charger switched on
when not in use";
* The long term central England temperature record shows that
eight out of the ten years warmest years have occurred since 1990
and that the period from May to September 2006 was warmer that any
equivalent period since the central England record began in 1659;
* In England and Wales in 2006, 2.3 million properties were
estimated to be in an area at risk of flooding; for just over half
a million of those the risk was considered to be significant;
* Total greenhouse gas emissions from the UK food chain are
estimated to have been 116 million tonnes (CO2 equivalent) in
2004; over three-quarters of the emissions came from the food
production and agriculture stages, the remainder came from net
trade and household food use;
* Total emissions of particulates (PM10) to the air fell by 57
per cent (almost 200 thousand tonnes) between 1980 and 2005;
* In 2005/6 in the UK, the amount of household waste per person
that was not recycled or composted was at its lowest level since
estimates were first made in 1983/4 and just over a quarter of all
household waste was recycled or composted;
* In 2004, 35 per cent of fish stocks around the UK were at full
reproductive capacity and being harvested sustainably;
* In 2006, all but 2 of the 561 coastal bathing waters in the UK
met the mandatory standards of the European Bathing Water
Directive compared with two thirds of waters in 1988; over three
quarters met the tougher guideline standards - one of the
requirements for Blue Flag status - in 2006;
* Radioactive emissions to air in the UK fell by around 83 per
cent between 1985 and 2005 and emissions to water fell by 87 per
cent. At the same time, electricity production from nuclear
sources increased by 40 per cent;
* The area of woodland in the UK has increased since the early
20th Century - approximately 5 per cent of the UK was covered by
woodland in 1924: in 2006 almost 12 per cent of the UK was wooded;
* Since the mid-1970s, farmland and woodland bird populations
have seen a significant decrease of over 50 and 30 per cent
respectively, although both populations appear to have stabilised
since the mid-1990s; seabird populations have risen by around a
third in the same period and stabilised since the mid-1980s.
The Environment in your Pocket 2007 is not just for the pocket
but is also available in a larger version and published online -
linked to more detailed information on the topics it covers - at:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/eiyp/index.htm
EDITORS' NOTES
1. The Environment in your Pocket 2007 is available free from
Defra Publications, Admail 6000, London, SW1A 2XX (Tel: 08459
556000, email: defra@cambertown.com). Product code 12811
(pocket-sized A6 version) and 12811A (A4 version).
2. The 2007 edition is the eleventh annual edition of the booklet
and it presents around 55 of the key data sets from the e-Digest
of Environmental Statistics. It focuses on providing trends over
time, including on performance against quantified targets and
commitments set at the national and international level.
3. As a National Statistics publication, it seeks to be as
objective as possible, presenting a balanced picture. National
Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in
the National Statistics Code of Practice. They are produced free
from any political interference.
4. The e-Digest of Environmental Statistics continues to be
Defra's reference site for environmental data. The e-Digest
can be accessed on the Defra internet site at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/index.htm
5. Details of the government's indicators of sustainable
development can be accessed on the Sustainable Development website
at: http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/progress/index.htm
6. Detailed results from Defra's 2007 Survey of Public
Attitudes and Behaviours towards the Environment are on the Defra
website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/pubatt/index.htm
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
Press notices are available on our website http://www.defra.gov.uk
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