The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set an ambitious new climate target according to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
Johnson said that the government will aim for at least a 68% reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade.
Responding to the announcement, NFU deputy president Stuart Roberts said:
It’s great to see the prime minister setting an ambitious interim target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.
“Climate change is both an immediate and long-term threat and as a country we need to take action now to mitigate its impact.”
Becoming net zero by 2040
Roberts continued:
“That is why British farmers are already working to become net zero by 2040. We want to be world leaders in climate-friendly food production and pave the way for other nations to follow.
“I believe that agriculture has a key role to play in reaching the government’s targets.
As both a source of emissions and a sink, we have a unique ability to counter-balance our emissions by drawing carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it in farmland or bio-based materials – opportunities which most other industries just don’t have.
“We believe we can reach net zero by 2040 by taking action on three fronts: boosting productivity to bring down our emissions; storing carbon on farmland; and delivering more renewable energy and bio-base materials.
“By working towards these, British farming can very much be part of the solution to climate change,” he concluded.
