Department of the Environment Contents List Users can access text and download graphics and tables of statistics by clicking on the environmental topics highlighted on this page. The inland waters of the UK provide a water supply which is essential for human existence and are a vital economic resource for industry and agriculture as well as an important habitat for many plant and animal species. The quality of the marine environment is affected by natural factors including tides, weather and climate, and by human activities both on land and at sea.
Excessive noise can damage health.
The principal sources of noise are cars and aircraft, and noise from domestic, industrial and commercial premises. In the UK, as in other developed countries, increases in industrial production, in consumer expenditure and in population have contributed to increases in the amounts of waste generated. Measures are now in hand in the UK to improve information on waste arisings and disposal through research and new data collection initiatives. Although the UK is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, it remains a mainly rural land with over 85 per cent used for agriculture or covered by forestry. There are, however, increasing pressures to develop land as the size and structure of the population change and living standards increase.