June 27th, 2019
A no-deal Brexit would see any meaningful conversation around environmental policy completely abandoned, a British expert has said.
Speaking
recently at an event in DCU about the implications of Brexit on the
environment, Professor Charlotte Burns said that the risks of a
no-deal Brexit including an “economic crash in the UK” would see
environmental issues being removed from the policy agenda.
“All
the focus will be on how to generate growth, how to deal with the
economic impacts and we’ve seen this with recessions in the UK,
Ireland and the EU in the past,” the
University of Sheffield
academic
said.
“When
recession happens, the willingness to talk about and take serious
action on environmental policy just drops off the agenda,”
she added.
The
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed TD said last week that Ireland
may be forced to ask the EU for hundreds of millions of euros in
economic aid if a no-deal Brexit were to happen.
Mr
Creed maintained that the beef and fishing industries would be
extremely hard hit and that Irish farmers would suffer along with
many other industries.
A
€100 million Brexit package has already been set aside and approved
by the European Commission for Irish beef farmers.
The
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue TD stated this week that 50,000
to 55,000 jobs would be lost if a no-deal Brexit was to happen.
He
also maintained that tax-cuts would be ruled out for at least the
next year but that they may still be possible throughout the course
of the next elected government.
As
it stands, Britain is the Republic of Ireland’s largest EU trading
partner and accounted for 24 per cent of our imports and 11 per cent
of our exports in March 2019.
The
Green Trend
Prof
Burns said that the rise and fall in relation to people caring about
the environment is normal and that the “peak” we’re seeing at
the moment is due to several things coming together at once.
Burns
said that the current “trend” in climate issues has a lot to do
with the most recent IPCC report, the global School Strikes for
Climate and the Extinction Rebellion protests.
“The
opportunity is there now to try and get something done so it’s
great that today we see the new Climate Action Plan launched [in
Ireland]…
it’s a window of opportunity now that needs to be pushed through,
made meaningful and a bit tougher,” she said.
By
Marianne Foody
The post No deal Brexit bad for environment, says expert appeared first on Green News Ireland.
