Six reactions – articles: Eustace, Amber Rudd, ICE, Angling Trust, Grantham Institute & Client Earth

The Threat:   George Eustace – Brexit would free UK from ‘spirit-crushing’ green directives, says minister. Farming minister George Eustice says leave vote would free up £2bn now spent on insurance schemes and incentives for farmers

Telegraph Amber Ruud on Climate change brexit will make it harder for the UK to tackle climate change but its commitment to do so is undiminished by the EU referendum result, energy secretary Amber Rudd has said. Ms Rudd, a leading voice in the Remain campaign, also insisted that the proposed Hinkley Point new nuclear plant would not be affected by Brexit, saying the project was still “full tilt”, despite speculation by some that it could be derailed. “While I think the UK’s role in dealing with a warming planet may have been made harder by the decision last Thursday, our commitment to dealing with it has not gone away,” she told the Business and Climate summit in London.

Independent Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd has challenged Boris Johnson to make clear he is not a global warming denier, saying the issue would be “absolutely central” to her decision about who to back as the next Prime Minister. Speaking at the Business & Climate Summit in London, Ms Rudd sought to allay fears that the UK will abandon policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after it leaves the European Union. The prominent Remain campaigner also stressed that Britain would leave the EU as “the decision of the British people was clear” in last Thursday’s referendum. Mr Johnson is one of the leading candidates to succeed David Cameron and Ms Rudd was asked whether voters should be concerned that the next Prime Minister might be someone who has previously questioned whether climate change is real.

ICE President assures members that voice of built environment will be heard ahead of EU exit negotiations

ICE ‘Sir John Armitt has written to members to assure them that ICE is working to ensure that the needs of civil engineers and the civil engineering industry are understood by the government as it negotiates the UK’s withdrawal. He reassured members that the global status of members’ qualifications is unchanged by the result of the referendum and confirmed that there will be a period of negotiation between the EU and the UK. The President assured members that ICE will monitor any proposals closely to ensure that their needs are understood and are prioritised in the UK’s negotiating stance. He commented that the negotiations are likely to take some time but said that ICE would draw on the close working relationship we have with the UK Government to ensure that they understand how society benefits from a strong civil engineering profession.

ICE Director General, Nick Baveystock also commented on the UK’s decision: “During the referendum debate ICE did not take a position on the constitutional question of whether or not the UK should remain within the EU. The purpose of ICE is to develop and share expert knowledge which aids the delivery and operation of infrastructure for the benefit of society.ICE will provide decision makers with a clear view on the priority issues that will affect the nation’s ability to secure high performing infrastructure – including project delivery, investment, research funding, codes and standards, and access to skills.”

https://www.ice.org.uk/news/ice-president-assures-members-ahead-of-eu-exit

Brexit: the Angling Trust pledges to fight for best deal to protect fish and fishing

With the uncertainty surrounding what the EU referendum result will mean for fish and fishing, the Angling Trust has pledged to fight for the best deal possible and has issued the following statement:

1. The AT will press for existing EU environmental legislation such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Water Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive, all of which are written into UK law, to be maintained and implemented in full to protect fish and their habitats.
2. The AT will press for sensible regulation of agriculture, and for subsidies to be linked to the achievement of improved outcomes for the water environment.
3. The AT will fight to ensure any new arrangements for sea fisheries management benefit both fish stocks and recreational sea anglers.
4. At a time of immense political turmoil, the need is greater than ever for individuals, clubs and fisheries to join the Angling Trust & Fish Legal to give us the resources and political weight of numbers to speak up for fish and fishing and if necessary take legal action to influence the many fundamental decisions which will be made about management of the water environment over the coming months and years.

You can read more about what the Angling Trust pledges to do in The Inside Angle blog by Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust & Fish Legal.

Tactics & Communications of Climate change & Expert deniers and the Leave campaign

Bob Ward Grantham Institute   ‘…….This disdain for expert organisations and individuals that undermined their flawed arguments is a key characteristic of those who deny the potential consequences of both Brexit and climate change. It means that scientists who warn of the risks of climate change and economists who warn of the risks of Brexit are simply dismissed as “alarmists”.

So if the Vote Leave campaign prevails on 23 June, it may not only be the end of the UK’s membership of the European Union. It may also mark the end of enlightened decision-making, based on expertise and evidence. Click here to read the article. Bob Ward is policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Red Alert for the Environment James Thornton, the chief executive of Client Earth, the lawyers who forced the government to improve its air pollution plans, said Brexit “leaves me shocked, disappointed and extremely concerned about the future of environmental protections in the UK.” Craig Bennett, head of Friends of the Earth, said the leave vote was a “red alert” for the environment