As you know by now, the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union a reported by Inhabitat. This controversial move known as “Brexit” or British exit kicked off a series of shaky events. Stock markets crashed and Prime Minister David Cameron has announced his resignation before October. The consequences of the UK’s leaving the EU will be widespread, including potentially damaging setbacks for environmental policies and initiatives.
Leading up to the in-out referendum, the United Kingdom’s efforts to advance environmental protections had slowed down. After Brexit, concerns are increasing over the country’s future commitments to cutting pollution and battling climate change. It’s also unknown how the leadership will stand on protective measures for wildlife, the support for agriculture and investments in renewable energy. Just recently, the UK has made good progress in green energy, specifically in the solar industry, which produced 50% more energy last month as compared to the country’s coal power plants.
For months, PM Cameron had campaigned against leaving the EU, and predictions have called Brexit an unlikely outcome. And yet, the supporters of the breakup garnered 52% over 48%, despite London. Scotland and Northern Ireland voting to “remain” in the European Union. Many analysts warn that investments in the green energy will go down, which was previously a fast growing sector of the UK economy.
Adding to this, Ukip leader Nigel Farage, considered one of the most vocal politician forcing the referendum is a hard climate denier and has stated on many occasions that his agenda includes cutting limitations on pollution from power stations. These conservative measures would only work to disengage the hard work the UK has done in recent years to clean up the environment, limit the carbon emissions and reduce their contribution to climate change.
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Solar Trust Centre Team
