Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan: what does it mean for nature?

Earlier this week, the Government announced its Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan – a series of commitments to help the UK reach its carbon emissions targets for 2037. Right now, the climate and nature crisis is the single biggest threat to the UK’s wildlife. The UK Government’s commitments are a welcome response to an urgent need.

In this deep dive, we’ll help you to understand what the Delivery Plan is, what the highlights for nature are, and why the stakes are so high.

Let’s start with the Carbon Budget. It’s a legally binding limit on the UK’s carbon emissions.

The Government is required to set a plan to reduce the UK’s emissions, so the country doesn’t exceed its ‘budget’. The Sixth Carbon Budget, addressed by this plan, was agreed by Parliament in 2021 and covers the emission limits for the period between 2033-2037. The Government needs to now focus on putting actions into motion. 

And that’s where the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan comes in. It’s packed full of policy and legislation to implement the necessary changes, so we reach the target by 2037. Makes sense, right?

Now, down to the nitty gritty. Let’s share some key takeaways for nature that the UK Government proposed to help the UK stick to its limit:

• An investment in nature-based solutions, including tree-planting and peatland restoration, as announced in June’s Comprehensive Spending Review
• A ban on the sale of horticultural peat
• An unchanged commitment to the £2.7 billion investment in nature-friendly farming and nature recovery also announced in the spending review

We know that protecting and restoring nature-rich landscapes – woodlands, peatlands, wetlands – is essential for climate and wildlife resilience. It was positive to see the UK Government recognise this in the plan.

There also seems to be much less of an emphasis on the role of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture & Storage (BECCS) in the new policies than was seen in the previous Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan in 2023. We hope this indicates a shift away from this highly damaging and unproven technology. You can read the RSPB’s joint report, published with WWF-UK, on why BECCS is ecologically risky and an unreliable method of carbon capture here.

Instead, we welcomed the focus on investment in nature-based solutions – using natural processes and ecosystems to help store carbon, reduce flooding, and build resilience.

Despite fewer mentions of carbon capture technology as a solution, the door still remains open for reliance on large-scale biomass power at Drax. Biomass – the burning of wood to produce heat or electricity – is considered a renewable energy source as trees can be continually planted. However, this doesn't mean that it's good for the climate or nature. Research shows that it takes decades for trees to reach the stage of growth where they can absorb the carbon released from burning the wood in the first place. Meanwhile, the land-use impacts on nature and farming of the forestry plantations, and even harvesting logs from protected areas, are not safeguarded against under current sustainability regimes. 

We were also disappointed to see the Government emphasising that it will be seeking to break down barriers to growth in key sectors. In its programme of reforms to the planning system, including via the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and in relation to major infrastructure proposals, nature has been regularly and specifically cited as a key blocker. We know we don’t need to trash nature to get economic growth; a well-designed planning system can deliver both. Our future can contain better, more affordable homes and upgraded infrastructure, built with nature in mind; we need to ensure a future where nature and people thrive together.

While it was a relief to see many elements of the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan align with our long-term campaigns to protect and restore nature, a plan alone isn’t enough. We need to see the proposed changes implemented effectively, and at speed to match the scale of the nature and climate crisis.

For example, the ban on the sale of peat for horticultural use has been long campaigned for and vital to store carbon. However, we need to see it take effect as soon as possible. With peatlands forming at only 1mm per year, preventing peat leaving the ground is much easier than its restoration.

With over 70% of the UK farmed, we also need to see more farmers being supported in joining High Tier agri-environment schemes. Higher Tier agreements focus on more ambitious land management and can fund farmers and land managers to create and restore wetlands, peatlands, moorlands, grasslands and more.

Here at the RSPB, we will continue to work hard to influence the UK Government as it sets out to implement these policies. We will be pushing to ensure that the Government doesn’t compromise on its ambition to tackle climate change, and we’ll advocate for nature to be at the heart of its decision-making. We want to see policy makers making the most of the win-wins for both climate and nature, not choosing trade-offs.