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LAND
The best land is being built on, and the rest left to the whims of farm markets and subsidies. Since 1800 Britain has lost 3/4 lowland heath, virtually all its Caledonian pine forest, & half of natural downland in Dorset. Nearly half the ancient woodland in England and Wales has been lost since the 1940s largely through the building of roads and houses.
'Deforestation' is not just in UK, but throughout the world. An area the size of New Zealand being lost in rainforest each year. Some of this is due to logging, some to growing soya beans, and some to increased beef production. This is bad for the atmosphere as trees take up the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. It is also reduces the 'biological diversity' - number of species of living organisms. 3 species are lost worldwide each hour.
Land contamination is also a problem, where chemicals leak or are spilt from workplaces leaving residues that may take years to clear. Land around landfill sites may be contaminated when wastes containing hazardous chemicals are not properly segregated for effective disposal.
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