Recently, we asked our members what impact the UK's membership of the European Union has on environmental science and their work. We had a great response to the survey, with many members sharing their thoughts and experiences from the worlds of research, business, consultancy, NGOs and education. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with over 80 per cent of members stating that EU membership was a benefit to environmental scientists in their work.
We used responses to this survey to inform our submission to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry on this topic. The Committee is conducting an inquiry into the relationship between EU Membership and the effectiveness of science, research and innovation in the UK. The UK's EU membership is an issue of great significance for professionals working across the sciences, but should perhaps be of particular interest to environmental scientists due to the nature of the problems and processes they study, as well as the potentially major implications for environmental protection in the UK.
The evidence statement submitted by the IES made the following key points:
- The IES represents professional scientists working across the environmental sector, whose work is significantly shaped and influenced by EU regulations and policies translated into UK law.
- EU funding for interdisciplinary environmental research is vital in maintaining the UK’s status as a world leader in scientific research and innovation. The competition and partnerships encouraged by EU grant calls drive ambition and excellence in the UK and other member states.
- The UK is disproportionately successful in securing funding for research projects in the environmental sciences and other sectors due to the strength of our science base.
- The science community should not be defined exclusively in relation to research. Applied environmental scientists recognise the value of policy and regulation at the EU scale in tackling trans-boundary environmental problems, and of the strong environmental regulation the EU produces.
