National Teams

The LUNZ Hub will accommodate and reflect the policy needs of both the UK government and each devolved administration in all aspects of its work.

It will respect devolved decision making over critical policy areas, in particular the environment and farming, while providing evidence in support of the UK government’s net zero strategy, including options for the seventh carbon budget period (2038 to 2042).

At the heart of the Hub’s approach is the acknowledgement that each of the four nations of the UK is faced with unique challenges for achieving net zero as well other priority social, economic and environmental outcomes, accompanied by clear targets and policy frameworks to help achieve them.

It will also reflect that many of the risks and opportunities to deliver emissions savings will be common across all four nations – the need to manage competing demands on land, the diversity of stakeholder interests, the need for appropriate infrastructure, evidence gaps and uncertainties, and dependencies on early stage technologies.

To that end, the Hub will look to identify those areas of land use policy where a collaborative, joined-up approach will be beneficial and cost-effective. This might include consistent data collection where a UK-wide picture is needed, identifying and spreading best practice and sharing evidence of policy impact – in agricultural schemes for example.

The LUNZ Hub will provide a unique, depoliticised space where academics and policymakers can draw on one another’s knowledge and experience to inform UK-wide policy, while at the same time identifying opportunities to apply it for regional governments or other bodies.