Category: Environment

Climate Change, Environment

Climate Change and the Irony of Brexit

Albert Weale argues that at a time of a climate crisis trumping frontiers, international governance is needed more than ever. Leaving the EU and its structures of cooperation could thus be counterproductive for the UK as the country sets new bold and needed  environmental objectives. Brexit is full of ironies. Consider Mrs May’s recent announcement that the UK government will commit itself to net zero … Continue reading Climate Change and the Irony of Brexit

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Climate Change, Environment

Forget punishment: the Brexit deal needs to carve out sectors of exceptional common interest

Michael Grubb discusses how to go beyond the recent obstacles in the negotiations and the negative rhetoric by focusing on key sectors where interests are aligned. In his view, energy, climate and transport are the logical sectors from which to start the writing of a new positive relationship. So: at Salzburg the unstoppable force of Brexit finally met the immovable object of EU concerns about the … Continue reading Forget punishment: the Brexit deal needs to carve out sectors of exceptional common interest

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Climate Change, Environment

The UK needs a new independent body to protect the environment after Brexit

Environmental standards and accountability in the UK are profoundly shaped by EU legislation and policy, even the very softest of Brexits will expose gaps in the UK’s governance framework. Maria Lee, Professor of Law and co-director of the UCL Centre for Law and Environment, argues that new mechanisms are required to ensure accountability and protection of the environment in the UK after Brexit. For four decades, … Continue reading The UK needs a new independent body to protect the environment after Brexit

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Environment, Referendum

Brexit: The mother of all uncertainties

In the aftermath of last week’s EU referendum, the only thing we can be certain of is uncertainty, writes Professor Paul Ekins, Director of the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, as he outlines two absolutely contrasting scenarios. So the British people have voted by a margin of around 4%, a little more than 1 million votes, to leave the European Union (EU). Where this will lead lies somewhere … Continue reading Brexit: The mother of all uncertainties

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Climate Change, Environment

Would Brexit lead to lower UK energy prices?

If the UK were to leave the EU, would  British households face higher or lower energy bills? Nobody knows for sure, writes Stephen Tindale, Director of the Alvin Weinberg Foundation: it would depend on decisions taken and agreements concluded by a post-Brexit government. But claims from Brexiteers that leaving the UK would lead to lower energy prices are misleading. The reverse is more likely, according to Tindale. … Continue reading Would Brexit lead to lower UK energy prices?

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