脱欧公投以来英国气候政策的演变及影响

Abstract:Since the inclusion of climate change in the issue agenda of international politics in the late 70s and early 80s，the climate policy of the UK has witnessed a changing process from passivism to activism. The Climate Change Act of 2008 made the country the first in the world to set target for carbon emission in the form of law. After the EU referendum in 2016，the May government disbanded the Department for Business，Innovation and Skills and created the Department for Business，Energy and Industrial Strategy. While the new British political agenda has certainly exerted some impacts on the issue of climate change，it failed to bring substantial changes to its climate policy. The May government continued to stick to the five-yearly carbon budget starting from 2008. The UK Committee on Climate Change issued a new report to recommend net zero emissions by 2050 in May 2019，garnering support from both the central and local governments. The positive responses from all levels of governments reveal the ambition of the country to continue its leading role in the global governance of climate. Regarding Brexit，although there remains uncertainty about how the country will continue to stay in the EU emissions trading system （ETS） after the departure，complex and profound impacts on British ETS and carbon pricing are foreseeable. In the meantime，Brexit will undoubtedly bring some negative impacts on British climate policy as well as its role in the global climate negotiations，thereby weakening its role in the global system of climate politics.

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