Brexit deal includes some laws in which there is a section “non-regression in the level of environmental protection” which outlines specific commitments ensuring that the UK and EU’s environmental and climate policies remain broadly aligned on a number of issues. According to this section, the UK and EU “Must be sure that the level of environmental protection provided by law, regulations and practices is not weaken below the level described by the common standards applicable within the Union and the United Kingdom at the end of the transition period.”
This risk is not just about environmental laws. The legal mechanisms to properly implement and enforce them also originate in the EU. This could leave us with gaps in our environmental protections and difficulties in enforcing our laws.
Nobody can reject this reality that the EU law has been fruitful in the protection of the UK environment; and having created around 80 per cent of the UK’s environmental, including the EU-wide target for 50 per cent of municipal waste to be recycled or reused by 2020.
Air pollution is a big problem in the UK specifically in London and it travels across borders. The environmental problems we face worldwide are bigger than the UK. Migrating birds face increasing risks and climate change is a very real and urgent threat that needs global action. We need to work on these issues at home and tackle them and also with our European neighbours, and globally. However, these problems are a multiple ones and need a global cooperation and we cannot solve it alone.
There will be greater risks if the UK leave the EU without a deal. Imagine the government striving to manage after-Brexit’s problems, It this situation, it is inevitable to make new trade deals and keep the country running, so, protecting and improving our environment is likely to be forgotten by politicians and won’t be at the priority list.
We must consider this reality that most of our issues will be affected by Brexit such as nature, air pollution, plastics and fracking. This is because the UK will no longer be held accountable by EU laws that safeguard the environment. So, we can play an important role to guarantee the EU’s environmental laws by campaigning around Brexit. But if we procrastinate forcing UK’s politicians, this would threaten the natural environment on which we all rely for our health, food, commodities and existence.