The UK Versus Environmental Protection and Climate Change

https://www.humantruth.info/uk_environment.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2024

#climate_change #france #the_environment #UK #uk_and_the_environment #UK_environment #USA

UK United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	13th best
Capital	London
Land Area	241 930km²₁
Location	Europe
Population	67.1m₂
Life Expectancy	80.74yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$45 225 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	GB, GBR, 826₅
Internet Domain	.uk₆
Currency	Pound (GBP)₇
Telephone	+44₈

The UK comes 71st in the world with regard to its responsibility towards the environment. This is derived from 21 data sets. The UK comes in the best 20 in its environmental performance₉ and in its score on the Green Future Index₁₀. It does better than average in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, its forested percent change 2000-2020₁₁ and in energy to GDP efficiency₁₂. The UK does not succeed in everything, however. The UK does worse than average in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₁₃ and in reducing annual meat consumption per person₁₄. The climate activist Greta Thunberg criticizes "creative carbon accounting" that allows the UK to look like it is reducing carbon emissions despite "the UK's active, current support of new exploitation of fossil fuels - for example, the UK shale-gas fracking industry, the expansion of its North Sea oil and gas fields, the expansion of airports as well as the planning permission for a brand new coal mine - [it's] beyond absurd"₁₅.

As a result of pollution, every one of England´s rivers fails to meet safety standards₁₆ and it has the worst water quality in swimming sites in Europe₁₇. In 2019 and 2020, there were 600,000 occasions where raw sewage was pumped into rivers, beaches and open waters₁₈. The cause is deregulation by the UK's Conservative Party, who have been in power since 2010. The best political parties in the UK for the environment are the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats, and Labour.

1. UK's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#climate_change #the_environment

Compared to Europe (2025)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Switzerland	45.0
2	Denmark	50.4
3	Liechtenstein	56.8
	...
17	Finland	71.9
18	France	72.8
19	Romania	73.8
20	UK	74.4
21	Turkey	75.0
22	Belgium	75.3
23	Bulgaria	75.8
24	Latvia	77.7
25	Slovakia	80.8
	Europe Avg	86.45
q=48.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
68	Romania	73.8
69	Swaziland	74.2
70	Chad	74.4
71	UK	74.4
72	Turkey	75.0
73	China	75.2
74	Belgium	75.3
75	Cape Verde	75.6
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

" Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2. Data Sets

2.1. Forest Area Change 2000-2020

#biodiversity #deforestation #environmentalism #forests #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		Total₁₁
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
38	Dominican Rep.	8.5%
39	Greece	8.4%
40	Réunion	8.1%
41	UK	7.8%
42	Martinique	7.2%
43	Hungary	6.8%
44	India	6.7%
45	Costa Rica	6.2%
	Europe Avg	8.2%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

The UK comes 41st in the world regarding its forested percent change 2000-2020.

Forests are carbon sinks, mitigating against climate change₂₀_,₂₁. Unfortunately, we are destroying over 70,000 km² of forest each year₂₂. In the last few thousand years, we've removed 30-40% of the Earth's forest cover₂₃_,₂₁, mostly to clear space for agriculture, and for logging₂₄_,₂₅. The produce from both is shipped from poorer countries to richer ones. Half-hearted government efforts and company obfuscation of supply chains makes it almost impossible for consumers to tell which foods and products are from sustainable sources, and which ones are encouraging irresponsible deforestation, meaning that there is little incentive for companies to relent.

The effects are catastrophic. 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation₂₆_,₂₄. It brings soil erosion from wind and rain which, over time, can almost-permanently stop any hope of growing food₂₇, and spreads desertification. Entire ecosystems are collapsing as a result, including ones that we depend upon₂₈. The water cycle is driven by forests, and their loss reduces ordinary rainfall, increases flooding, removes an abundant source of water filtration, and contributes to a rise in water levels.₂₉.

Some regions of the world are increasing their forest cover₂₁; the best from 2000-2020 are Scandinavia (13.8% ), The Balkans (11.0% ) and Baltic States (7.6% )₁₁. There is an overall trend that developed countries gathered their riches by using up their natural resources, and now, they pay poorer countries to use up theirs instead, whilst they can afford to slowly rebuild their natural environments. But it's not wholly that simple - some rich regions are still burning through what they've got. The regions clearing their forests fastest are Central America (-12.8% ), Africa (-9.1% ) and North America (-2.9% )₁₁.

For more, see:

"Deforestation" by Vexen Crabtree (2024).

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

Forest Area Change 2000-2020	2000s Average	2010s Average
the UK:	3.6%	4.3%
World Rank:	42nd	⇡ 31st
World Avg:	0.6%	-0.7%

2.2. Environmental Performance

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Environmental Performance Higher is better₉
Pos.		2018₉
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
6	UK	79.9
7	Luxembourg	79.1
8	Austria	79.0
9	Ireland	78.8
10	Finland	78.6
11	Iceland	78.6
12	Spain	78.4
	Europe Avg	69.6
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

The UK is positioned 6th-best in the world regarding its environmental performance.

The Environmental Performance Index 2018 data includes 24 indicators including air pollution, water and sanitation, biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental health, combined into a single score by country, by the Yale University Center for Environmental Law & Policy.

“The UK is, however, very special. Not only for its mind-blowing historical carbon debt, but also for its current, very creative, carbon accounting.
Since 1990 the UK has achieved a 37 per cent reduction of its territorial CO₂ emissions, according to the Global Carbon Project. But these numbers do not include emissions from aviation, shipping and those associated with imports and exports. If these numbers are included the reduction is around 10 per cent a year, according to Tyndall Manchester.
And the main reason for this reduction is not a consequence of climate policies, but rather a 2001 EU directive on air quality that essentially forced the UK to close down its very old and extremely dirty coal power plants and replace them with less dirty gas power stations. And switching from one disastrous energy source to a slightly less disastrous one will of course result in lower emissions. [...]
The UK's active, current support of new exploitation of fossil fuels - for example, the UK shale-gas fracking industry, the expansion of its North Sea oil and gas fields, the expansion of airports as well as the planning permission for a brand new coal mine - is beyond absurd.
This ongoing irresponsible behaviour will no doubt be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humankind.”
"No-One is Too Small to Make a Difference" by Greta Thunberg (2019)₁₅

2.3. Energy to GDP Efficiency

#energy #sustainability #the_environment

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better₁₂
Pos.		2022 Avg₁₂
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
43	Egypt	0.76
44	El Salvador	0.79
45	Guinea	0.80
46	UK	0.80
47	Pakistan	0.81
48	Comoros	0.81
49	Costa Rica	0.81
50	Latvia	0.81
	Europe Avg	1.25
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

The UK is 46th in the world in terms of energy to GDP efficiency.

GDP per unit of energy consumption is often called 'Energy Intensity'. It's how efficient countries are at producing GDP in terms of primary energy use. It represents primary energy consumption using the substitution method, per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). A lower value means that less energy was used to maintain the country's GDP.

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

Energy to GDP Efficiency	1960s Average	1970s Average	1980s Average	1990s Average	2000s Average	2010s Average
the UK:	2.68	2.37	1.86	1.60	1.26	0.97
World Rank:	48th	⇡ 41st	⇣ 96th	⇡ 88th	⇡ 80th	⇡ 61st
World Avg:	2.05	2.13	2.10	2.15	1.60	1.30

2.4. International Accords on the Environment

#environmentalism #internationalism

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
26	S. Africa	71%
27	Cyprus	71%
28	Japan	70%
29	UK	70%
30	Tunisia	70%
31	Austria	70%
32	Venezuela	70%
33	Kazakhstan	70%
	Europe Avg	62.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

With regard to its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the UK is positioned 29th in the world.

Each country is scored using a formula that takes the date each country took up major international environmental agreements, as a ratio of maximum possible days. The agreements covered are: (1) the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, (2) the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for certain hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides, (3) the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, (4) the Waigani Convention (for those countries that are eligible), (5) the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), (6) the Kyoto Protocol and (7) its successor, the Paris Agreement, (8) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), (9) the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and finally, (10) the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.

For more, see:

" Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

It was amongst the first batch of countries who signed the Montreal Protocol on protecting the Ozone layer in 1988 whilst most others delayed until subsequent years. However, it (alongside France and the USA) has reponsibilities under the Waigani Convention to protect South Pacific Islands from their hazardous waste and has neglected to ratify it into law at all.

The UK is one of the most nature-deprived countries in the world and yet the government, over the 10-year period from 2010 to 2020 in which it promised to, did not move to protect endangered species, slow the degradation of land and natural habitats nor reduce agricultural pollution which devastates the natural environment (the opposite; water pollution is worse than ever now that the UK is not subject to EU monitoring). There has been a reduction in funding to protect biodiversity.₃₀

“The targets [required] the UK government to make the public aware of the value of biodiversity, but the KNCC found that 'more than half of the UK public report no awareness of the threats to biodiversity.”
The Guardian (2019)₃₀

Averages by decade for the UK (for the ranks, lower is better):

International Accords on the Environment	1970s Average	1980s Average	1990s Average	2000s Average	2010s Average
the UK:	32%	78%	58%	77%	88%
World Rank:	29th	⇡ 6th	⇣ 64th	⇣ 115th	⇣ 147th
World Avg:	8.5%	23.3%	45.0%	74.4%	90.7%

2.5. Rational Beliefs on the Environment

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better₁₃
Pos.		2011 %₁₃
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
122	Netherlands	23.0%
123	Finland	22.9%
124	Congo, DR	22.8%
125	UK	22.6%
126	Malawi	22.0%
127	UAE	20.8%
128	Norway	20.5%
129	Botswana	20.4%
	Europe Avg	33.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

The UK comes 21st-worst in the world regarding the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population.

2.6. Meat Consumption

#animal_rights #animal_welfare #diet #food #health #meat #veganism #vegetarianism

Meat Consumption Lower is better₁₄
Pos.		2021 kg₁₄
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
147	S. Korea	81.5
148	Dominica	81.6
149	Hungary	82.1
150	UK	82.3
151	Czechia	82.4
152	Bahrain	82.8
153	Qatar	83.0
154=	Iceland	83.6
	Europe Avg	71.1
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

The UK ranks 150th in the world with regard to reducing annual meat consumption per person.

There are five key arguments in favour of vegetarianism which accrue even from partial adoption: (1) Vegetarian diets have notable health advantages over carnivorous diets, especially for heart and cardiovascular issues₃₁_,₃₂_,₃₃. (2) It is morally better to avoid killing or harming animals. (3) Plant-based diets use much less water than carnivorous ones, to the extent that agricultural and water management scientists urge governments to encourage people to switch₃₄. (4) Vegetarian food production uses substantially less land₃₁_,₃₅_,₃₆. And, (5) vegetarianism is better for the environment than meat-production for emissions, sewerage, pollution and chemicals usage.₃₁_,₃₅. A plant-based diet causes 75% less greenhouse gas emissions than a typical carnivorous diet₃₆. The global food industry causes about 1/3 of all planet-heating emissions, and so "to slow the worst climate effects, the United Nations has called for a drastic reduction in meat consumption"₃₆. Despite this, "reducing appetites for carbon-intensive meat and dairy is incredibly hard"₃₇ and as countries get richer, they tend to eat more meat.

In the 2010s, meat consumption per person in the UK was well above the global average (of 49kgs per year), putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.₁₄

On average throughout the 2010s, the UK's rate was 81.3.

2.7. Green Future Index

#climate_change #energy #sustainability #the_environment

Green Future Index Higher is better₁₀
Pos.		2023 Score₁₀
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
4=	Sweden	6.3
4=	Denmark	6.3
6	Netherlands	6.2
7	UK	6.1
8	S. Korea	6.0
9	France	6.0
10=	Spain	5.9
10=	Germany	5.9
12	Belgium	5.8
	Europe Avg	5.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

The UK ranks 7th-best in the world with regard to its score on the Green Future Index.

The Green Futures Index (GFI) has been running since 2021, and looks at 23 data sets for over 70 countries, with a focus on effectiveness, policy and planning 'for a low carbon future. It is complementary to existing goals and frameworks for sustainable development'. Datasets include qualitative appraisals and quantitative measurements on carbon emissions across multiple sectors, renewable and nuclear energy, recycling capabilities, green technologies used in building and construction, transport, scientific and industrial green innovations and patent quantities, climate action and climate policies. Each country is then ranked by their final score.₃₈.

3. UK Politics: Greens, Lib Dems and Labour are Good for the Environment

#Brexit_Party #British_National_Party #climate_change #environmentalism #Reform_UK #UK #UKIP

Taking into account the long-term costs of climate change, it is the Green Party in the UK that are pushing for the most sensible policies on combatting climate change. Equally unsurprisingly, closest to them are the centrist Liberal Democrats. Unfortunately, these two parties do not enjoy a great many voters. Although the Labour Party do have some good policies, it's the Conservative party, which has been in power more than any other party in recent decades, that sets the rules. They are held back by leadership that lacks an ethical framework, and, a large number of climate skeptics. Many of its politicians are influenced directly by fossil fuel contributions to the party and some of these congregate in the backwards "Global Warming Policy Foundation", members including climate idiots such as Nigel Lawson and Steve Baker₃₉.

The Conservative Party, in power since 2010, have presided over the missing of almost all of the last batch of 10-year climate targets set in 2010. It is 'failing to protect threatened species, end the degradation of land, reduce agricultural pollution or increase funding for green schemes, [... and] is not ending unsustainable fishing"₃₀.

Even worse than the Conservatives are the UK's true denialists, who can be found in fringe parties such as UKIP₄₀, the racist British National Party (who describe the global evidence for climate change as a 'left wing conspiracy')₄₀ and Reform UK (a rebranding of the Brexit Party). Thankfully these parties have little influence.

4. UK River and Beach Pollution from Sewage

#public_health #sewage #UK #UK_public_health #uk_public_services #water

The UK has regained its status as 'the dirty man of Europe'; every single one of England´s rivers now fails to meet safety standards₁₆ and we have the worst water quality in swimming sites in Europe₁₇. In 2019 and 2020, there have been 600,000 occasions where raw sewage was pumped into rivers, beaches and open waters₁₈.

The cause is deregulation. Conservative Environment Secretary from 2014 (Liz Truss) cut £24m from sewage monitoring₁₆ and they've removed legal safeguards₁₆_,₁₈. "Raw sewage dumps have doubled since those cuts", say Greenpeace, and the Environment Agency "found that 90% of sewage monitors at seasides are broken [or] not installed"₁₆. Despite public uproar, the Conservatives rejected the Environment Act 2021 amendment "that would have introduced a legal obligation to bring down sewage dumping progressively"₄₁ and the 2023 Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill that would "increase penalties for water companies and others who fail to adequately monitor sewage discharges, impose fines and binding targets for such events"₄₂.₄₃. Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party, are simply powerless to force the Government to act.

As long as our population and waste products continue to increase, and climate change makes rain events more extreme, we need to invest more in preventative measures. These include re-funding and empower environmental agencies such as the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and OFWAT and setting legal requirements to make improvements before profits are used as bonuses. Water companies can afford it - bosses are "taking home gigantic pay packets and gifting themselves obscene bonuses"₄₄ and have given a whopping £72 billion as shareholder dividends since privatisation₄₁. Those responsible for failing to stop sewage polluting public water need to be held to account more strictly, regardless of their political ties to government.

We need to improve building standards and add green measures such as waterbutt capturing of roofwater for use in cisterns and gardens. We need more protected natural areas around built-up areas to replace the woodlands and natural features that were previously excellent at soaking up groundwater, preventing sewerage systems from overflowing; likewise, we need to discourage gardens that are homogenous expanses of low-biology lawn or tarmacked over. In short, we need both low-level behaviour changes, and top-level engagement from Government. If all of these things are pursued, the UK should be able to reduce the amount of sewage entering our rivers and waters.

For more, see:

"UK River and Beach Pollution from Sewage" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).