Essential eco information in pint-sized publication
The ten warmest years in history have all been recorded since 1990, there were 779 serious water pollution incidents in 2003, and 66% of new homes built since last year were part of brownfield developments.These facts are all taken from Defra's latest edition of its green information booklet, Environment in your Pocket 2004, which contains key trend and statistics on the environment from recent years.
Other eco-facts include radioactive air pollution in the UK falling by 72% between 1985 and 2002, complaints about noise pollution have risen four and a half times over the past year, and 12% of the UK is currently covered in woodland, compared with just 5% in 1924.
Defra's booklet includes over 50 key topics, including: the global atmosphere; air quality; coastal and marine waters; radioactivity; noise; waste and recycling; and wildlife.
General background information including analyses of linkages between indicators on the economy, transport, energy use, pollutant emissions, agricultural development and the environment are also covered.
The key series include all the environmental headline indicators of sustainable development.
Environment in your Pocket 2004 is also available in a larger size version, as well as online at Defra's environment statistics.
By Jane Kettle