Britain, France, and the European Union - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 89

4
Britain, France, and
the Europea n Union
Although Germany and its northern neighbors enjoy a reputation as
leaders, Great Britain and France have also promoted good policies to
clean up their environments, especially since the 1970s. In recent years,
the European Union has assumed a role of its own. Other countries on the
continent like Italy and Spain have followed, albeit as a slower pace. Critics
sometimes labeled Britain as a laggard, but in many ways it is a leader.
Great Britain has never had a natural environment completely untouched
by humans. Mesolithic peoples moved into the area as soon as the gla-
ciers retreated 10,000 years ago, burning forests and chopping out clear-
ings. With the beginning of agriculture about 3500 BC, people cleared
permanent fields and cut down trees for fuel and buildings. Bronze Age
farmers knew the importance of rotating crops and manuring their fields.
A combination of grazing and burning created moors devoid of trees. By
the Middle Ages, Englishmen were mining tin, iron, and copper, burn-
ing charcoal, digging coal, and draining the wet fens. At the time of the
Doomsday Book in 1085, only 15% percent of England remained wooded.
For his personal hunting pleasure, the king preserved areas designated as
Royal Forests, Chasses, and Deer Parks. The kingdom's first air pollution
law dates to the 14th century when the Crown forbid coal fires in London
while Parliament was sitting. In 1661 the problem of acid rain was first
identified and understood.
Early in the 18th century, wealthy landowners began to surround their
houses with gardens planted in a naturalistic style. Flowers and trees
adorned their property with curving footpaths and vistas of distant faux