Britain's imminent departure from the European Union (E.U.) has the potential to jeopardize the multi-national organization's transition from an environmental laggard to world leader.
England has been a major factor behind the uptick in environmental activism within the E.U. The island nation's leave-taking, resulting from a national referendum dubbed "Brexit", should strengthen the clout of some Eastern European E.U. members. These countries, with their heavy reliance on coal and other fossil fuels, are not as supportive of the E.U.'s anti-pollution regulations as the group of member nations led by England.
Hence, chances for the E.U.'s environmental initiatives to get bogged down in internal bickering increase when Brexit is finalized. It remains to be seen whether Germany can keep the E.U.'s environmental resolve intact, absent the considerable influence of its chief ally in ecological matters. England has not only been a leader within the E.U. in championing climate change remediation but has also been a powerful force for forest preservation.
The E.U. started out in the early 1970s' managed primarily by a bunch of bean counters preoccupied with keeping Europe's post World War Two economic recovery on track. Environmental protection at best was an afterthought and at worst a hindrance to industrial expansion. The true environmental visionaries of that period were several European elder statesman unencumbered by elected office. Former European Agricultural Minister Sicco Mansholt and futuristic Club of Rome founder Aurelio Peccei foresaw the environmental problems and solutions of the 21st Century. Unfortunately, while they were revered as distinguished seniors, their warnings were either ignored or dismissed as eccentricity.
As the 1970s' progressed and environmental problems became more visible, the E.U. began to shed its inertia. The multi-national organization turned to guidance from the United States, the world's undisputed leader in environmental protection at the time. Our Environmental Protection Agency, fortified by the recent passage of landmark anti-pollution statutes, set the EU on its present course.
In the 1980s', the E.U. established an environmental directorate of its own, and over the years, has caught up and in some instances surpassed us in environmental activism.
The E.U. introduced a comprehensive plan for reducing carbon emissions, while we remain mired in partisan gridlock. Its 28 countries (including Britain) enacted before we did a requirement that chemicals must be proven safe prior to introduction into the marketplace. The E.U. spearheaded the successful global effort to ratify the ozone-hole-closing Kyoto Treaty.
Without Britain from within the E.U. promoting ratification of the Paris international climate change accord, there are worries that the organization might falter. What if England opts out of some E.U. environmental regulations after it leaves? Could that trigger a chain reaction? Prime Minister David Cameron assures us that his nation will stand fast, but he will not be at the helm. Indeed, some British Brexit politicians who are climate change skeptics could conceivably end up in positions of power.
That said, it is hoped Britain, whether in or out of the E.U., will remain a positive environmental influence on all of Europe.