Phytoremediation Strategies for United Kingdom River Health in the Flood of Climate Change

Abstract

Industrialization and urbanization in the United Kingdom has led to practices that impact the quality of their river systems. In a recent 2020 report, 0% of rivers in England meet the current criteria of ‘good health’. Climate change will increase the frequency of flooding and compound this alarming issue. Phytoremediation is a nature-based strategy that employs the use of plants to uptake waste materials such as heavy metals and antibiotic waste. Here, we recommend UK counties use phytoremediation-based strategies in conjunction with community involvement to improve river quality and make communities around river systems more resilient against the impacts of climate change.