By Paul Davies and Michael Green

While the overwhelming majority of the UK’s environmental legislation is derived from EU legislation and UK climate change and energy policy is largely influenced by the EU, surprisingly, environment and energy has been the subject of only limited discussion in the context of Brexit. Observers anticipate that most environmental laws will remain in place, initially at least, as the government seeks to avoid a legislative vacuum caused by the repeal of EU laws before new UK laws are in place. However, longer term trends remain unclear as the UK is likely to face challenges associated with its energy supply and the changing energy market. In terms of the likely post-exit relationship, a number of experts have suggested three possible models. First is a limited free trade relationship with the EU, based on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) about to be signed between Canada and the EU (known as the “Canadian model”). A second option may be to agree bilateral accords with the EU governing UK access to the single market in specific sectors and remain part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) (known as the “Swiss model”). A third option would be for the UK to stay part of the single market by continuing its membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) (known as the “Norwegian model”). There have also been suggestions that the UK may seek its own bespoke arrangement.