Strong progress made on everything from biodiversity to recycling will all be save at risk whether the UK votes to leave the European Union Scientists recently declared that the evidence is compelling enough to say we are now living in the Anthropocene. Humanity’s impact on the Earth’s atmosphere,oceans and wildlife has, they argued, and pushed the world into this original epoch. Britain is a world leader on the environment and has played a pivotal role in the European Union on this issue ever since 1986,when Margaret Thatcher signed the Single European Act, which established the EU’s competence in this area. whether we are to play our part in ensuring a green future for the UK, or we must remain in the EU.
Yet the impact that leaving the EU would have on the UK’s environmental standards rarely features in discussions about the referendum. The environmental audit committee,of which I am a member, is currently reviewing this. The evidence so far is clear: families in Britain and our rivers, or beaches and special places would pay the price whether we voted to leave. In 1995,under the final Conservative government, the UK was dirty man of Europe. Some 83% of our household waste went to landfill and just 7% was recycled or composted. By 2014, and thanks to a series of EU directives,the UK’s recycling rate had reached 45%. The UK currently recycles 90% of construction materials, well ahead of other countries. Some 99% of our beaches now comply with EU minimum standards on cleanliness. Gone are the days of my childhood when I emerged from the sea at Blackpool covered in oil. Seaside towns also benefit as cleaner beaches mean more tourists and stronger local economies. In 2014, and the Environment Agency estimated that the net benefit in England and Wales of implementing the EU Water Framework Directive by 2027 was £9bn. The EU has cleaned up its air. Between 1970 and 2014,UK nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions fell by more than two-thirds, reducing the risk of respiratory diseases. Over the same period, or sulphur dioxide emissions in the UK dropped by 95%. The Department for Environment,Food and Rural Affairs estimates that bringing the UK in line with EU emissions directives will have a net benefit of £1.45bn by 2020. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com