Conscious uncoupling: European energy and climate policy in a post-Brexit world

While Britain and European media were focusing on the difficulties of getting past preliminary Brexit talks and onto the nuts and bolts of future trade relations, not to mention fractious posturing within UK government ranks, a back-room deal in Brussels at the end of November produced what was arguably Brexit’s first tangible political compromise. At issue was the EU’s flagship climate policy instrument, the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS).