This problem is a UK government area of research interest (ARI) that was originally posted at https://ari.org.uk/ by a UK government organisation to indicate that they are keen to see research related to this area.
How can we develop pathways towards net zero that are socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable? What is the range of viable solutions, and what are the associated co-benefits and trade-offs? This includes developing spatially explicit models and tools to inform decisions at the landscape level, including prioritisation of conflicting land use demands
To limit future warming requires rapid reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieving net zero by 2050, as required by UK legislation. Climate mitigation is led in government by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). But Defra is responsible for efforts to reduce GHG emissions from four sectors: agriculture, waste and wastewater, land-use, and fluorinated gases (F-gases). Defra also has responsibility to promote forestry, which acts as a carbon sink. Together, the four Defra sectors represent 15% of the total net UK GHGs, with agriculture being the biggest contributor (about 10% of UK emissions).
Defra has research interests in reduction of emissions, the removal of GHG from the atmosphere, and in understanding the impacts of mitigation activities on other environmental outcomes.
Contact details
ari.comment@go-science.gov.uk
Related UKRI Projects
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- Meeting the Paris Agreement on Climate: Exploiting Earth System Models to determine the role of future land-use change
- Greenhouse Gas Removal Plus (GGR+): Sustainable Treescapes Demonstrator & Decision Tools
- The Net-Zero Emissions Challenge: Quantifying unintended climate feedbacks from large-scale deployment of land-based CO2 removal strategies
- Nature-based Carbon Removal Verification
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- Climate Solutions Exchange Ltd
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