Land use: Policies for a Net Zero UK
Read the full reportThe report highlights that adopting low-carbon practices, increasing forestry cover, restoring peatlands, and expanding energy crops could collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43 MtCO2e by 2050. Key strategies include controlled release fertilisers, improved livestock health, and woodland expansion, which together with reducing consumption of carbon-intensive foods and food waste would facilitate necessary land use changes, supporting increased tree planting and bioenergy crop cultivation.
Adopting low-carbon practices like controlled release fertilisers, improving livestock health, and slurry acidification can help reduce GHG emissions from soils, livestock, and manure management by 10 MtCO2e by 2050.
Increasing UK forestry cover from 13% to at least 17% by 2050, which involves planting broadleaf and conifer woodland. Together with improved woodland management this would deliver annual emissions sequestration by 2050 of 14 MtCO2e in forests with an additional 14 MtCO2e from harvested materials.
Restoring 50% of upland peat and 25% of lowland peat is projected to reduce peatland emissions by 5 MtCO2e by 2050.
Expanding the cultivation of energy crops would deliver emissions savings in the land sector and from harvested biomass.
Reducing consumption of carbon-intensive foods and food waste, would lead to reduced emissions and land use changes necessary for increased tree planting and bioenergy crops.
Recommendations for policy implementation
- Strengthening Regulatory Baselines: Extending existing regulations and implementing new ones to reduce on-farm emissions.
- Funding Mechanisms: Public and private funding strategies to support costly measures like afforestation and peatland restoration.