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Data and Statistics: Environment

Environmental Data Resources

Good websites for UK environmental data

Good websites for European environmental data

Other good websites for environmental data

UK Government environmental data resources by subject

The list that follows is by no means comprehensive - so please check the main websites listed to check on the availability of other datasets.

General environmental statistical sources

The e-Digest for Environmental Statistics
which contains statistics on the following subject areas:

  • global atmosphere including those for climate change, the greenhouse effect, UK emission levels and stratospheric ozone; 
  • air quality including those for emission levels, monitoring and air quality;
  • inland water quality and use including those for rainfall, freshwater quality, river quality, groundwater quality, water abstraction, drinking water and fluoridation;
  • coastal and marine waters including those for bathing water and beaches, quality of estuaries, quality of marine and coastal waters, direct, riverine and atmospheric inputs, waste at sea, radioactive waste, oil spills and fish stocks.
  • Radioactivity including those for natural sources of radiation, artificial sources of radiation, discharges from nuclear installations, disposal of solid wastes. 
  • Noise including those for noise incidence, aircraft noise, complaints and motor vehicles. 
  • waste and recycling including those relating to municipal and household waste, mineral wastes, sewage sludge, hazardous wastes imports and exports of wastes, recycling - ferrous metals, steel, aluminium, copper, lead, zinc, paper, board, glass and plastic. 
  • land use and cover including land use, urbanisation, greenbelt, agriculture, forestry, habitats and protected areas. 
  • wildlife including biodiversity, species at risk, wildlife monitoring of mammals, seals, otters, birds, amphibians and reptiles, butterflies, dragonflies and grasshoppers, plants and freshwater quality.
  • public attitudes to the environment.

Environment in your Pocket
Pocket booklet containing some key facts and figures about the UK Environment taken from the Digest of Environmental Statistics.  This includes data on general environmental issues, global atmosphere, air quality, inland water, coastal and marine waters, radioactivity, noise, waste and recycling, land wildlife and public attitudes.

Environmental Accounts
Environmental information across industry sectors, emissions data, environmental protection data, fossil fuel use, oil and gas and waste data.

Public Registers Online
Allows you to conduct basic searches of the Environment Agency's public registers on water quality and pollution control, Integrated Pollution Control, radioactive substances and water abstraction and impounding.

Regional Trends
Range of environmental statistics which are given for each region within the UK.  These include annual average rainfall, estimated household water consumption, estimated abstractions of groundwater, biological and chemical quality of rivers and canals, water pollution incidents, bathing water standards, atmospheric pollution, ground level ozone levels, radon affected areas, household waste by local authority, recycling household waste, land use changes and urban growth.

Social Trends
Some general environmental statistics such as agricultural land use, air pollutants, bathing waters, emission levels and waste disposal - check the  website for full list of datasets included.

What's in your Backyard?
Allows you search a range of data sets including bathing waters, discharges to sea, ground water, flood plains, flood warning areas, landfill sites, pollution inventory, IPC OPRA scores, waste OPRA scores, river quality, river quality targets and agency offices.  Searches can be conducted of the data or by using maps.  Other free downloads also available.

Environmental protection/pollution statistics

Pollution Facts and Figures
Facts and figures on pollution, environmental crime, light pollution, noise, ozone depletion, nutrients in rivers, lakes and coastal waters, pollution incidents and fertilisers.

Pollution Indicators
Includes indicators for pollution incidents, sewage treatment works discharges, discharges to sea, nutrients in rivers, pesticides in fresh waters, ground water quality, dangerous substances in water, nuclear industry discharges, air pollution, air pollutant concentrations, ozone depletion, acidification and heavy metals in agricultural topsoil.

UK Environmental Protection Expenditure by Industry Survey
Based on a survey sent to different industry sectors about their environmental protection expenditure.

Sustainable development statistics

Indicators of Sustainable Development
Links to a range of headline, national, regional, local and international indicators about sustainable development.

Sustainable Development Datasets

Wildlife Indicators
Indicators include wildbird population, otter occurrence, course fish catches, salmon catches, river habitats classification and plant diversity.

Waste management statistics

Hazardous Waste Data
The Environment Agency has a special waste database which holds data on every consignment of special waste in England and Wales. Data collected includes types of waste (based on European Waste Catalogue [EWC]), the amounts of waste consigned and details of the origin and destination of each consignment. The data is expected to be of particular interest to waste management specialists, producers of hazardous (special) waste and local/regional waste planners.

Municipal Waste Management Statistics
Based on information from questionnaires sent to all Waste Collection Authorities (WCAs), Waste Disposal Authorities (WDAs) and Unitary Authorities (UAs) in England. Information is collected on the amounts of Municipal Waste collected and disposed of, the levels of recycling and recovery of household and municipal waste, methods of waste containment, levels of service provision and details of waste collection and disposal contracts.

Resources and Waste Indicators
Gives indicators on energy consumption, electricity from renewable sources, nuclear industry discharges, radioactive waste stocks, abstraction from fresh waters, ground water levels, water demand and availability, household water use, leakage from public water supply, household waste and recycling, waste arisings and management, special waste arisings, construction and demolition waste, soil loss due to development and beach litter.

Waste Facts and Figures
Facts and figures about waste, recycling, landfill, waste incineration, hazardous waste and radioactive wastes and discharges.

Waste Statistics for England and Wales
Designed to answer the following questions: How much waste is produced in England and Wales? Who produces it? Where? What happens to it? How much can be recovered?

Water statistics

Water Facts and Figures
Facts and figures about river quality, marine water quality, water resources, nutrients in rivers, lakes and coastal waters, freshwater habitats, pesticides, fertilisers and acid rain.

Water Indicators
Indicators include bathing water quality, rivers of good or fair quality, river quality compliance, estuary water quality, dangerous substances in water, discharges to the sea, river habitats classification, river flows, nutrients in rivers, pesticides in fresh waters, pollution incidents, sewage treatment works discharges, ground water levels, groundwater quality, rainfall in summer and winter, flood levels in rivers, Thames Barrier closures against tidal surges, sea level change, abstraction from fresh waters, household water use, leakage from water supply and acidification.

European environmental data by subject

Agriculture and environment

Eurostat: Agriculture and Environment [Under Environment]
Contains statistics on pesticides and fertiliser.

Air statistics

Air Datasets
Various datasets from the EEA, including trends in emissions of ozone precursor.

Climate change statistics

Climate change Datasets
Various datasets from the EEA, including data on greenhouse gas emissions and removals.

Environmental protection statistics

Eurostat: Environmental Expenditure and Environmental Taxes [Under Environment > Environmental Accounts]
Includes expenditure as a percentage of GDP, expenditure by the public sector and private industry and expenditure by EU institutions.

Waste management statistics  

Eurostat: Waste Statistics [Under Environment]
Contains a range of statistics on waste generation and waste treatment.

Water statistics

Compliance with the Bathing Water Quality Directive 76/160/EEC
Data reported are on the quality of bathing waters (coastal and freshwater zones) as per Directive 76/160/EEC on Bathing Water Quality. Parameters for which compliance is calculated include: total coliforms, faecal coliforms, mineral oils, surface-active substances and phenols.

Reference Waterbase
Reference WATERBASE is the European Environment Agencies database containing nationally validated, aggregated data on Europe's rivers, lakes and groundwater bodies.

Eurostat: Water Statistics [Under Environment]
Gives statistics for water resources, water abstraction by source and sector, water supply, waste water including population connected to the sewage system, capacity of waste water plants and sewage sludge and bathing water quality.