Rural Communities, Land Use Change and Net Zero

In this briefing paper, Jane Atterton and Carey Doyle from the Rural Policy Centre at SRUC outline the important contextual information for discussing the challenges and opportunities for rural areas to achieve the UK’s ambitions to reach net zero.

The UK’s rural areas play a vital role in achieving national net zero goals, serving as key sites for emissions reduction in agriculture, renewable energy generation, carbon storage, and natural flood management. However, the transformation required to meet these targets will have complex and intersecting effects on rural residents, workers, and visitors.

Challenges include the need to retrofit older, less energy-efficient housing, expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and address limited service accessibility due to greater travel distances. These factors, combined with higher living costs and centralised service provision, risk deepening rural poverty and exclusion. Rural areas are also increasingly exposed to extreme weather events such as flooding, further straining financial and social resilience. Land use change – through renewable energy projects, carbon markets, and shifts in agricultural practices – will reshape rural landscapes and may generate local opposition when local costs are perceived to outweigh national benefits. Policymakers may lack sufficient understanding of rural dynamics to anticipate these impacts effectively.

Despite these challenges, the transition to net zero presents significant opportunities. Rural areas may benefit from new employment and business prospects linked to nature-based activities such as tree planting and peatland restoration, alongside community investment through infrastructure improvements and wealth funds. Existing experience with community-led initiatives, supported by legislation such as the Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales), the Community Empowerment and Land Reform Acts (Scotland), and the forthcoming English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, provides a strong foundation for local leadership.