Only revolutionary new laws can stop Brexit harming the environment | Michael Jacobs

As the EU withdrawal bill inches its way through parliament, the environmental implications of Brexit are being revealed. Leaving the European Union could be the single most environmentally damaging act taken by government in the past half-century.

Almost all of the UK’s environmental policy derives from our membership of the EU. Across the full range of issues – air and water pollution, habitats and species protection, waste management and recycling, energy efficiency, carbon emissions and energy policy – it is EU regulation that has raised standards.

Related: Sadiq Khan accuses ministers of stalling over post-Brexit environment watchdog

The Climate Change Act should now become the model for the new environmental legislation we need after Brexit

Related: Call for post-Brexit trade deals to safeguard against invasive species