‘Environment must not be neglected as Brexit looms’

THE environment must not be neglected as the UK embarks on the process of leaving the European Union, campaigners have warned.

There have been calls to cut EU “red tape” and regulation on the environment, with everything from energy-efficient moneysaving lightbulbs to rules protecting important habitats targeted in some quarters as Brexit begins.

But environmentalists called for the government to live up to its promise to be the first generation to leave the natural world in a better state than it found it, ensuring that all the current protections provided by the EU are put into domestic law.

From agricultural policy and farming subsidies, to air pollution limits, bathing water quality, wildlife protection and climate action, many of the laws on the environment come from Brussels.

Environmental law firm ClientEarth’s chief executive, James Thornton, said: “The Prime Minister must make sure that the environment is not neglected in the upcoming negotiations and that all of our current environmental protections are put firmly into domestic law.

“We need to ensure that those are saved and put on our statute books for generations to come.

“That will give us certainty that we need for businesses, for the environment, and for communities across Britain.”

Trevor Hutchings, director of advocacy at WWF, said: “Now that the starting-pistol has been fired, the UK government must make sure that the environment is not left behind, and make good its promise to leave nature in a better state than it inherited it.”