The much-anticipated COP26 international summit on climate change is finally here and already there have been some promising developments. Biggest of all is a new commitment to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. The declaration will be signed by more than 100 countries, including some of the most densely forested such as Brazil, Russia and Canada – and will cover 85% of the world’s forested area. To help turn this commitment into reality there is £14 billion of public and private funding pledged to restore damaged forests and help local economies, and a £1.1 billion fund earmarked to protect the Congo Basin. Separately, 28 countries are also agreeing to phase out trade of goods like palm oil that are a major driver of deforestation. Rightly, addressing the issue of deforestation was one of the Prime Minister’s key ambitions for the conference given deforestation is thought to contribute around 10% of global warming.
Also announced in Glasgow is the UK’s new ‘Clean Green Initiative’ which will help developing countries take advantage of green technology and grow their economies sustainably. The initiative includes a doubling of UK aid-funded green investments to more than £3bn over five years and new guarantees to support clean infrastructure projects
On a local level, I held a smaller summit with local farmers and growers, along with the Minister for Farming and Food, Victoria Prentis MP. I organised the meeting to ensure local agri-food businesses had the opportunity to discuss their thoughts and concerns directly with the Minister. This is a crucial time for farming as we transition away from direct payments and the long legacy of the Common Agricultural Policy and instead build our own system.
At present, plans are being drawn up under the new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) to reward landowners for work that builds on the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan and helps our ambition for becoming net-zero. Through these schemes, farmers and other land managers may enter into agreements to be paid for delivering cleaner water and air, helping plants and wildlife thrive, reducing risks from environmental hazards such as flooding and much more. For the farmers in attendance, this was a key point of discussion as we are still waiting on the finer details of these plans.
This work is hugely important as the UK agricultural sector is responsible for around 10% of our greenhouse gas emissions, but also the sector itself is more vulnerable than most to climate change with weather patterns and temperature changes massively impacting crop growth and yields.
The challenges we face are complex, and only by working together at every level, both with our international partners and locally, will we achieve real change.
