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New Report: Christian Aid calls for UK forest restoration as part of plans to go net zero before 2050

Responding to Claire Perry’s expected request to the Climate Change Committee on Monday to review the UK’s emissions targets, Christian Aid is urging the Government to prepare to go net zero before 2050.
 
In a new report, released today, Christian Aid’s Global Climate Lead, Dr Kat Kramer, said that in order for climate change to be tackled fairly, it was only right for richer countries like the UK to take the lead.
 
She said: “The UK was the first country to usher in the industrial revolution and it is now in a position where it can lead the way in decarbonising the global economy in the next, clean, industrial revolution.
“It’s only right that countries like the UK that have got rich by burning fossil fuels, make the first steps to address the problem. The advice from the Climate Change Committee needs to reflect that.
She added: “The findings of the IPCC were clear, we need to take urgent and far reaching action to address the causes of climate change.
“By setting a goal of net zero emissions by 2050, the UK would set the date when we as a country will no longer be making climate change worse.
“If the UK wants to claim to be a green leader on the global stage, this is what such leadership looks like.”
 
The Christian Aid report suggests that the Government should:
  • Restore UK ecosystems, especially native forests.
  • Create new forest plantations may also be necessary to act as carbon sinks.
  • Promote energy reduction through lifestyle changes and energy efficiency measures
  • Use legislation to deliver radical cuts in emissions across sectors and boost the development of zero emission alternatives.
  • Ramp up renewables energy deployment.
 
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