AGRICULTURE CAN - AND MUST-PLAY A LEADING PART IN DECARBONISING THE UK ECONOMY AND TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

摘要

In 2019, the NFU announced its industry-wide ambition to achieve Net Zero across UK agriculture, by 2040. Boldly recognising that along with every industry, agriculture plays its part - although perhaps less significantly than is often illustrated in the anti-farming narrative - in contributing to the emission of harmful greenhouse gases, the NFU has stood up to be counted in committing to playing its part in the solution. We know emissions from UK farms presently amount to 45.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent a year - about one tenth of UK GHG emissions. But in stark contrast to the rest of the economy only 10% of this is CO2. Around 40% is nitrous dioxide (N2O) and 50% is methane (CH4). Therefore, UK farmers are uniquely placed to contribute to the solution and decarbonise the UK economy, with a special responsibility to protect carbon reserves already in our soils and vegetation.