The Environment Agency (EA), an independent public body that aims to protect and improve the air, water, and land in England and Wales, has for the first time set out a strategy for putting science at the center of its activities. The strategy, made public on Wednesday (December 15), comprises a 10-year plan for guiding the agency's regulatory activities, the EA's head of science, Michael Depledge, told reporters.
"We have gone through a significant culture change to reprioritize our research, look further ahead, and address major operational challenges, such as understanding how the environment affects human health, improving the way we manage water catchments, and addressing the impacts of climate change," Depledge said.
The policy aims to use science as the basis for advising operational and policy staff, for strategic planning, and it commits the agency to devoting long-term research initiatives to develop novel technologies and ways of working to...