Last month, four years after the Brexit referendum, the UK and the EU agreed on a trade deal just days before the 31 December deadline. As well as guaranteeing tariff-free trade on many goods, the deal includes extensive references to the importance of tackling the “existential threat to humanity” posed by climate change. Carbon Brief has extracted the key components relating to climate and energy from the 1,250-page document, as well as gauging the views of experts. Some welcomed it as the best free trade deal on climate ever agreed – a potential “game changer” that enshrines in the text both sides’ net-zero targets and a commitment to the Paris Agreement. However, there is also concern about weakening environmental regulations due to the UK’s efforts to “water down” the climate language and distance itself from European oversight.
Carbon Brief 18th Jan 2021 read more »