The Research Into The UK's Post-Brexit Climate Change Policy

On April 20,2021,the United Kingdom announced that it will achieve its goal of reducing emissions by 78% compared to 1990 by 2035.This is currently the most ambitious climate goal in the world.This announcement reflects Britain's determination to tackle climate change in the “post-Brexit era”.This article aims to use the process tracking method to systematically investigate the changes in the implementation of climate change policies in the UK since joining the European Community in 1972.Britain joined the European Community in 1973,and officially left the European Union in 2020.Over the past four decades,Britain has gone through the stage of “opposition-acceptance-leadership” with the European Union in terms of climate policy.The UK has changed from a passive implementer of EU environmental policy to an EU environmental policy maker.Can the UK leaving the EU continue its active climate change policy? This is a subject of widespread concern and controversy in the international community.The research in this article shows that the United Kingdom has implemented a more active climate change policy after the“Brexit”.Through a series of policy documents and the holding of the 26 th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties,the United Kingdom has become a global leader of climate governance.Why has the UK implemented a more active climate change policy after Brexit?Focusing on this core issue,this article uses the level of analysis in international relations studies to explain the reasons for the more active climate change policy adopted by the UK after Brexit from three levels.From the perspective of international factors,climate change poses a serious threat to social development and carbon neutrality has become a topic of the era.From the perspective of national factors,the use of climate diplomacy to enhance the UK's international status and continue to maintain its leading position in the field of green finance are the inherent reasons for the UK's climate action.From the perspective of leadership factors,British Prime Minister Johnson's personal concern for the environment has also promoted the formulation of Britain's climate goals.Analyzing the causes of changes in the UK's climate policy is helpful to understand the status quo of climate change governance issues after the UK's “Brexit”and the impact of the UK's “Brexit” event on the UK and the EU.By discussing the UK's climate policy,it will provide a decision-making reference for China to enhance its leadership in global climate governance.