Cranfield University is a member of an innovative research and stakeholder hub, a consortium of 34 organisations established to help the UK address land use and agriculture as a major greenhouse gas emitting sector.
The “Land Use for Net Zero” (LUNZ) Hub, co-led led by The James Hutton Institute and the University of Leicester, with £6.5 million funding from UK Research and Innovation, will drive research around land use, from renewable energy to soil carbon and green finance, in order to deliver the land transformations needed to achieve net zero by 2050.
The hub will also play a pivotal role in helping to communicate more widely the critical importance of land and how it is used as a major carbon sink or source.
Agriculture and land use have a major impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as a wide range of other environmental, societal and economic outcomes, but progress towards decarbonisation is lagging behind other sectors.
The declaration recently announced at COP28 on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems and climate action states the UK government’s intent to act on land use and climate change by increasing public financial support and scaling science-based solutions, and LUNZ will be a key conduit for these actions.
Achieving the transformational change in land management needed will depend on government access to world-class research and innovation and a novel approach to collaboration across a variety of critical stakeholders.
Dr Jacqueline Hannam at Cranfield University is co-leading a researcher-policy interface team that connects policymakers in the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DesNZ) with researchers and stakeholders, developing tailored evidence to inform policy delivery and development for achieving net zero emissions in the land sector across the four nations of the UK.
Dr Jacqueline Hannam said: “The LUNZ Hub is an exciting opportunity to work in completely different ways, co-developing net zero solutions within a diverse and vibrant transdisciplinary consortium that works hand in hand with policy makers and wider stakeholders in the UK.
“As co-investigators in this initiative, Cranfield is also actively contributing to the development of timely and tailored evidence across a spectrum of issues, ranging from soil health and soil carbon, land use change and digital opportunities.
"Our involvement underscores Cranfield's commitment to driving the essential land transformations required for the UK to achieve net zero by 2050.”
Hub co-lead, Professor Lee-Ann Sutherland of The James Hutton Institute, said: “The science behind land use is highly complex.
“Our aim is to bridge the gap between researchers and policy makers and our work will be focused on meeting specific policy-maker needs, giving them the evidence they need in the format and timeframe they need it.”
