The ENDS Power List recognises leading figures who are shaping environmental science and policy across the UK. Professor of Physical Geography Jamie Woodward has been selected in the category of academics shaping environmental science and policy, in recognition of his major contribution to public understanding and policymaking on microplastic pollution, wastewater discharges and the health of Britain’s rivers.
Untreated sewage discharges are a big problem
Professor Woodward’s research has played a significant role in exposing the links between untreated wastewater, sewage discharges and the build-up of microplastics in river environments. His work with colleagues at Manchester demonstrated that riverbed microplastic contamination is closely connected to poor wastewater management, helping to shift public and political debate on the condition of the UK’s waterways.
He was one of the earliest academics to raise concerns about widespread discharges of untreated sewage, and he has worked extensively to communicate the science behind this issue to policymakers, regulators, environmental groups and the public.
Microplastics in our environment
Earlier this year, Professor Woodward addressed a Westminster roundtable organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Microplastics, where he presented evidence on microplastic pollution in riverbeds from wastewater discharges and biosolids. The event brought together parliamentarians, scientists, campaigners and industry representatives to consider how government, regulators and water companies can better limit microplastics entering river and marine environments.
His research has also informed parliamentary scrutiny of river pollution. Evidence from Professor Woodward’s work was included in a UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee report which warned that English rivers were being polluted by a “chemical cocktail” of sewage, slurry and plastic, and called for urgent improvements to monitoring, regulation and enforcement.
The science is clear
Professor Woodward said:
It is a great honour to be included in the ENDS Power List alongside academics whose work is helping to shape environmental policy at such a critical time. The science is clear that the sewage scandal and the microplastic problem are closely linked – effective wastewater treatment is essential if we are serious about protecting public health, restoring river ecosystems and preventing plastic pollution from reaching our seas.”
One of the key challenges now is to keep translating research into action. That means raising awareness in Parliament, supporting evidence-based policy, and ensuring that our regulators and water companies are held to account.
Professor Woodward is a geomorphologist and geoarchaeologist whose research spans river systems, microplastics in river catchments, Mediterranean geomorphology, Ice Age environments and long-term environmental change. His work explores how landscapes and river systems respond to environmental pressures over timescales ranging from the deep past to the present day.
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