Brexit Spells End Of EU Climate Obsession

Political upheaval has likely pushed climate change down priority list, experts warn

BRUSSELS/LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) – Britain’s exit dashes the European Union’s leadership ambitions on efforts to slow climate change, leaving the bloc on the sidelines while others endorse the global pact it championed to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Last week, EU environment ministers jointly called for action “as soon as possible” to avoid being absent when the deal struck in Paris last December to limit global average temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius locks into place.

Britain’s vote to leave the union has disrupted everyday affairs and probably displaced climate concerns as a political priority. It also removes one of the EU’s strongest voices in favour of emissions-cutting policies.

The Paris Agreement will take effect once 55 nations responsible for 55 percent of man-made emissions ratify it.

With India, China and the United States hastening to lock in their pledges this year, some experts predict that could even be by the next round of climate talks in November in Marrakesh.

The EU’s reversal from being the key broker clinching the landmark deal to lagging on its ratification and implementation would deal a blow to the bloc’s credibility and influence on how the global climate rules are written.

“The likely scenario is that come Marrakesh, the EU will be very embarrassed,” said an EU source close to the talks.

Britain has long championed the fight against global warming: it was one of the first nations to adopt a legally-binding framework to cut emissions with its Climate Change Act in 2008.

At U.N. climate talks in Paris, it committed to a single EU target of reducing emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 from 1990 levels with the 27 other EU nations.

“It (Brexit) would reduce the level of clout of the EU in UN climate negotiations,” said Ruth Davis, a political adviser to Greenpeace and a senior associate at E3G. “I’m afraid that overall I see that as a lose-lose.”

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