What The U.S. Should Learn From the U.K. on Sustainability

The United Kingdom has announced and developed a plan to direct national development within an environmental framework over the coming 25 years. 

The plan is presented as part of a “Green Brexit” to reform agriculture, fisheries management and environmental protections. And while the plan is new, the U.K. has made some significant progress to date: For instance, greenhouse gas emissions have been cut 42% since 1990, and household recycling has almost quadrupled since 2000.

There are 10 goals, most of which will have either a direct or ancillary effect on the country’s food system. By adopting the plan, they hope to achieve:

The U.K. government seeks to improve land management and deliver a new environmental land management system that will rely on the principle of “the polluter pays” to incentivize sustainable agricultural practices. In April 2018, new regulations on agricultural water pollution will go into effect. Farmers will be required to identify and manage risks to water and reduce ammonia emissions, which cause acid rain and reduce soil fertility in the long run. 

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The plan includes several goals related to the reduction or elimination of waste: It aims to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of foods and drinks consumed in the U.K., as well as per capita food waste by 20% by 2025. It has also pledged to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042, one-fifth of which comes from food and drink packaging. 

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Water, Land and Ecosystems program led by the International Water Management Institute shows that 38% of bodies of water in the EU are threatened by agricultural pollution, and that one-third of the earth’s agricultural land is moderately to highly degraded due to erosion, salinization, compaction, acidification and chemical pollution of soils. 

“Green Plans,” in collaboration with the Resource Renewal Institute, include the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Singapore and New Zealand. Other comprehensive environmental plans have been adopted by Kenya, Pakistan, Italy and Bulgaria. And where is the U.S.?