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.
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This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:
"GGR topic-specific" project proposal. To achieve the UK targets for cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a steady reduction of 3% should be achieved and maintained every year by the whole UK economy. This i...
Funded by: NERC
Lead research organisation: CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY
The project partially answers the question by proposing different techniques to reduce GHG emissions, but it does not specifically address the UK and international context.
The UK's decision to leave the European Union presents an opportunity to transform the financial assistance given to farmers and other land managers, so that practices that enhance the environment and assist in the mitig...
Funded by: NERC
Lead research organisation: Imperial College London
The project fully answers the question by proposing a systematic map of the evidence relating to the impact of soil and crop management on GHG flux, which is relevant to the UK context.
Greenhouse Gas Removal in the Land Sector - Addressing the Gaps (GGRiLS - Gaps) is a Topic-specific proposal under the GGR programme. The Paris agreement commits countries to limit climate warming to "well below 2 d...
Funded by: NERC
Lead research organisation: University of Bristol
The project partially answers the question by quantifying the emissions reduction gap in the land sector at a country level, but it does not specifically address the UK and international context.