The UK’s net-zero target will not be met without changes in how we use our land. Those changes must start now. The Committee’s previous work1 has shown it is possible to reduce land-based emissions of greenhouse gases while contributing to other strategic priorities for land such as food production, climate change adaptation and biodiversity. This report focuses on the policies to drive that change. Farmers and landowners will face many challenges over this transition, but the framework set out in this report can help to make it a fair one by creating new opportunities and revenue streams that reflect the benefits they bring to society. Current policy measures will not deliver the required ambition. Incentives for agricultural land use have not seen fundamental change for decades. Throughout the UK there is an urgent need for a new approach: the legislative opportunities for real change are available and should progress immediately. We have reviewed the land use scenarios from our recent Net Zero report, taking account of new global and UK evidence. We conclude that they are still appropriate. In 2017, emissions from agriculture, land use and peatlands were 58 MtCO2e. With ambitious steps, emissions in these sectors can be reduced by 64% to 21 MtCO2e by 2050. This will deliver a net lifetime benefit to the UK of the order of £80 billion. There are also additional annual savings (25 MtCO2e) from using the harvested materials from trees and energy crops for use elsewhere in the economy. The Government should continue to fund research to improve scientific understanding and identify opportunities to go further. Click here to read more 

Heather Gardner CIWEM ‘The Committee on Climate Change have published a new report today on Land Use: Policies for a Net Zero UK, detailing the route to delivering low-carbon farming practices and changing the use of land to reduce emissions and increase carbon sequestration.

Their key recommendations to deliver net zero on land are:

• Low carbon farming practices, such as controlled release fertilisers.
• Afforestation and agro-forestry, increasing UK forestry cover from 13% to at least 17% by 2050.
• Restoring at least 50% of upland peat and 25% of lowland peat.
• Expanding the growing of energy crops by around 23,000 hectares each year.
• Reducing consumption of the most carbon-intensive foods (i.e. beef, lamb and dairy) by at least 20% per person and reducing food waste by 20%.’