Guest essay by Eric Worrall
British Conservative Politician Ian Duncan MEP is worried that when Britain Leaves the EU, the entire European Union green programme could collapse, because Britain won’t be around to pay for it.
Brexit could ‘derail’ EU attempts to fight climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, say MEPs
Exclusive: European Carbon Trading Scheme (ETS) could lose £1.7bn worth of funding once Britain exits the trade bloc
Shehab Khan @shehabkhan Wednesday 8 February 2017 16:45 GMT
Brexit could “derail” the European Union’s attempts to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to British MEPs.
Britain’s decision to leave the trading bloc could have a detrimental impact on the European Carbon Trading Scheme (ETS), which is the flagship policy aimed at cutting carbon emissions across the continent.
The United Kingdom is committed to providing almost €2bn (£1.7bn) worth of funding for the scheme, without which it is not yet clear how the system will survive.
…
Ian Duncan MEP, who is the Conservatives’ European spokesman on energy and climate change and also the lead lawmaker on reforming the ETS, said there was a “serious risk” Brexit could stop the functioning of the scheme, leading to “disastrous” consequences.
“In order for ETS to work a number of funds were created to help Eastern European nations to address the challenges of modernising their Soviet-era energy generators and manufacturing companies.
“The UK is one of the major contributors to this fund and after it leaves the finance for this fund will not be there,” Mr Duncan told The Independent.
“Without it, there is a serious risk not only that the ETS stops functioning post-Brexit, but that the EU loses support for its climate change targets altogether. With Donald Trump in the White House, the consequences of this could be disastrous for global efforts to tackle climate change.”
…
I think these fears are well founded.
Some of those former Soviet bloc countries are strangely reluctant to abandon coal. For example energy hungry Poland, whose heavy industry based economy has surged on the back of cheap coal power which allows it to undercut other members of the European Union, for some reason doesn’t want to go back to being poor.
Without a deluge of British cash to ease the transition back to penury, it will be much more difficult to convince Polish politicians to look the other way as the European Union attempts to dismantle the crown jewel of Poland’s economy.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Ian Duncan Smith once said, to the Tory Party conference, “… never underestimate the quiet man of politics” He wasn’t leader for very long after that.
Different numpty.
Same party.
WooHoooooooooo
I am confused by the headline versus the article. Seems to have opposite meaning. Or is it lost in translation.
Anyway i give not a damn for that collapse. In climate speak it could take thousand years.
When an ice sheet collapses it is not the same as when a house collapses.
Climateers must have their own dictionary, very different from what we normally concider a dictionary.
“richardscourtney March 6, 2017 at 3:44 am”
To you Sir, glad to see you back to this blog, you have been away for a while (Or maybe I have been busy). I trust all is well.
What nonsense!
The EU reformed the carbon trading scheme at the end of February… does no one ever fact check on this website?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/28/reform-of-eu-carbon-trading-scheme-agreed
I have an exemption Griff, why would I care. And besides it pretty easy to get carbon credits, as they just come off the press. Carbon credit inflation. Who’s going to know ?
What is nonsense? This isn’t some story made up by climate deniers but a statement from an MEP that the the very scheme you refer to – EU carbon trading scheme will lose £1,7b in funding post brexit. Hence his worry the scheme might collapse.
Baffled by which side you’re referring to when the headline says ‘opposition to climate change’. Is that us or them?
Now the EU has announced the first steps toward an EU army. But of course they want the UK to be part of with the largest defence budget. Even thought the EU wont allow the UK to cherry pick which EU initiatives it wants to continue participation in, the EU wants to cherry pick which ones it wants the UK to continue funding… http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/03/06/french-president-pushes-uk-included-eu-army/