Can UK trade policy be made greener?
Having introduced a legally binding target to achieve net zero by 2050 and with the Environment Act \u2013 designed to enforce UK environmental standards \u2013 now on the statute book, the UK government is proud of its green achievements. But does the UK\u2019s post-Brexit independent trade policy live up to its domestic environmental commitments?\n\nEarlier this year the UK agreed to omit references to temperature goals committed to in the Paris Agreement in order to secure a free trade agreement with Australia \u2013 an agreement which, on the government\u2019s own analysis, will result in increased use of scarce natural resources and increased waste. So does the UK need to do more to position its environmental goals at the heart of its trade policy or would this hinder the UK\u2019s ability to strike deals across the globe? Can trade policy help deliver positive gains for the environment? And should the UK government set out an overarching trade policy to bring consistency and coherence to its trade deals?\n\nTo answer these questions, and to explore what goals UK trade policy is \u2013 or ought to be \u2013 serving, the Institute for Government was delighted to bring together an expert panel including:\n\nSir Martin Donnelly, former Permanent Secretary for the Department for International Trade (DIT) and for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (now BEIS)\nDmitry Grozoubinski, Director of ExplainTrade\nAnna Sands, Trade Policy Specialist at WWF UK\nChris Southworth, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce\nThe event was chaired by Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government.\n\n#IfGTrade\n\nWe would like to thank WWF UK for supporting this event.