A new study is set to highlight the importance of hedgerows in protecting Edinburgh’s residents from rising levels of traffic pollution.
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) will assess contaminant levels in the roadside hedgerows of the capital where, according to the latest figures, 3.7 per cent of deaths in adults over 25 are attributable to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution.
Hedges provide a ground-level barrier where traffic-related emissions are greater and more harmful to residents, pedestrians, and especially children.
The study, which will be led Dr Luis Novo, an SRUC Challenge Research Fellow, will compare the effectiveness of different hedge species as barriers to pollutants.
It is being kickstarted by a Small Research Grant of nearly £5,000 from the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE).
Dr Novo said: “Road traffic contamination is a major concern in urban areas, where high pollutant concentrations and population converge. In this context, green infrastructure is receiving increasing attention for the broad array of ecosystem services it provides in urban settings, including the abatement of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution.
“This preliminary survey will look into PM2.5 and heavy metals concentrations in different hedge species and locations within the capital. The results will help us understand how factors like traffic volume, roadside distance, meteorology, and plant traits influence the hedges’ pollution abatement capacity.
“In addition to providing valuable information to authorities, practitioners, and the general public, this grant will also lay the foundations for a larger, more detailed study across the main Scottish urban centres.”
Professor Emerita Anne Anderson OBE FRSE, Chair of the RSE Research Awards Committee, Royal Society of Edinburgh, said: “The RSE Research Awards programme is vital for sustaining the knowledge and talent pipeline in our vibrant research and innovation sector across the length and breadth of Scotland.
“Funding enables awardees to deepen their research into significant global challenges, to support career development, and to make significant benefits to society and the economy. The RSE sends its congratulations to each of the award winners and wishes them good fortune in the conduct and outcomes of their research.”
Most comprehensive mapping of the UK’s food & drink carbon footprint ever shows pathway to 50% carbon reduction.
Equivalent to 35% of the UK’s total emissions arise from producing and eating the country’s food & drink, including emissions overseas for imported food.
Action on food systems by policymakers and the sector is fundamental to delivering the UK’s Net Zero ambitions and reducing our wider global footprint – food & drink is the hidden hero, says WRAP.
UK work on GHG emissions could be the blueprint for international action.
The most comprehensive analysis of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) linked to UK food & drink production and consumption ever undertaken shows the urgent need to slash the carbon footprint of food if we are to achieve the UK’s Net Zero ambitions.
It also shows the need to consider the full, global, footprint of the food & drink we consume, if we are to avoid reducing our own emissions at the expense of increasing emissions in other countries.
The report, UK Food System GHG Emissions, estimates that the UK food system was responsible for nearly 160 MtCO2e emissions in the UK and overseas in 2019 – equivalent to around 35% of UK territorial emissions*.
This landmark mapping was made possible by the development of a new Food System GHG model to pinpoint carbon hotspots across the food system and investigate the reductions possible through different types of action.
The ground-breaking work shows that a 50% reduction in food-related emissions by 2030 (in line with a 1.5oC trajectory) is possible, but only if we take urgent action.
The findings come at a key time as world leaders gather next month for the crucial COP26 meeting in Glasgow, to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Marcus Gover, WRAP CEO said, “Much attention will rightly be paid to energy generation and transport at COP26, but we ignore the food system at our peril.
“There is little talk about the contribution that strategies around food and drink can have to climate action, and it is vital we raise awareness and drive action among policymakers and businesses at COP26. That is why WRAP has set out the tangible reductions that can be made simply by focussing on food and drink as key part of climate action.
“A 50% reduction by 2030 is possible, but we need action as much as talk. And the benefits go far beyond the environment as a more sustainable food system is crucial to feed our expanding global population against a backdrop of changing climate and less predictable weather patterns. Policymakers must pay attention to the critical role food has in helping deliver Net Zero, and I intend to have those conversations at COP.”
The food system is a global network requiring a worldwide perspective. GHG emissions associated with overseas production of food & drink imported, sold and consumed in the UK are more than one third of the UK’s food and drink consumption footprint.
WRAP’s work details this connectivity to imported food and outlines the need for widescale action to prevent the positive actions by one nation inadvertently increasing emissions in another.
It highlighted the scale of GHG emissions reductions that could come from different types of interventions across the food system such as zero deforestation, decarbonising energy, decarbonising transport and preventing food waste. With five key actions for UK industry.
These actions will help meet environmental goals such as the UK’s Courtauld Commitment 2030 GHG target (50% absolute reduction in emissions associated with food and drink consumed by 2030 from 2015).
The Courtauld 2030 target is aligned to a 1.5oC pathway and has become a crucial milestone to meeting wider food sector targets for Net Zero by 2040, including those managed by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Food & Drink Federation (FDF).
DR Liz Goodwin, OBE, said: “This report is a useful reminder of the scale of the challenge faced by countries aiming to achieve Net Zero targets and the important role that reducing food loss and waste can play.
“It comes after the UN Food Systems Summit which clearly highlighted the importance of tackling food loss and waste as part of moving to a more sustainable food system. The Champions 12.3 coalition continues to urge action by all players; governments, businesses and civil society, so that we continue to build momentum in reducing food loss and waste and deliver UN SDG 12.3”.
WRAP’s work allows for a full investigation of the implications of actions across the whole food system, to aid policy decisions and focus action by businesses.
The Food System GHG model has been designed to help quantify the scale of potential emissions reduction that could be achieved through a range of actions aligned to existing commitments, such as renewable energy targets, zero deforestation commitments and targets to halve food waste.
The model provides a robust means of monitoring the UK’s total food system emissions (including both domestic production and imports), which is an important metric highlighted in the National Food Strategy. Monitoring progress over time will ensure actions taken are having the right effect.
WRAP believes the model could be replicated in other countries.
As well as the most comprehensive mapping of GHG food emissions to date, WRAP’s report also highlights where food system emissions arose and details the changes between 2015-2019, during which time an 8% reduction was achieved by the UK. It builds on the National Food Strategy and recent Courtauld 2030 progress report, both of which highlighted the significance of the food system for both territorial emissions and our wider global footprint.
Crucially, the report highlights a pathway to achieving a 50% reduction in the GHG emissions linked to production and consumption of food and drink in the UK. This can be achieved mainly by ensuring that existing policy, business and sector-level commitments and targets are delivered.
The move towards greener motoring shows no sign of slowing down according to new Department for Transport research.
The latest government figures show new registrations of three main green fuel types – Hybrid Electric, Plug-in Hybrid Electric and Battery Electric – more than tripled in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same period in 2019.
By comparison, there were falls of 27% and 60% for petrol and diesel vehicles respectively over the same period.
Petrol vehicles are still the most popular type of vehicle registrations – 269,000 vehicles – and they account for 56% of all new Q2 registrations in Great Britain.
Diesel car registrations have been especially badly hit in recent years. From a 2016 peak of 311,000, registrations fell by 80% to just 62,000 new diesel registrations in Q2 2021.
Ultra-low emission vehicles ULEVs increased by over 300% during Q2 2021 compared to the same period two years before . They make up just under 12% of all new registrations in Great Britain – 76,000 vehicles. Hybrid electric followed with an increase of more than 200% in Q2 2021 compared to Q2 2019.
During the height of lockdown in April 2020, vehicle registrations fell by 94% compared to April 2019, before rallying with a 1,486% rise in April this year.
A total of 637,000 vehicles were registered for the first time in Great Britain during the second quarter of 2021, 12% lower than during 2019 Q2. At the end of June 2021, there were 39.2 million vehicles on the road in Great Britain.
The Prime Minister announced in November that wholly powered petrol and diesel cars will no longer be sold in the UK from 2030 as part of the ‘green industrial revolution’ to tackle climate change. He says the government plans to “invest more than £2.8 billion in electric vehicles, lacing the land with charging points”.
Efforts have been made to expediate this plan by encouraging all Londoners to get rid of diesel cars as soon as possible now the world’s first 24 hour Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London has been implemented.
Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, which offers a comparison service for electric car insurance, comments: “Despite lockdown, the move to greener motoring continues to gather pace as drivers race towards the 2030 carbon neutral deadline with electric and other hybrid vehicle sales beginning to soar.
“The rising investment in public and home charging points and the recent panic at the petrol pumps suggest this surge in demand is here to stay.
“As a growing number of insurance providers enter the electric car insurance market, we expect the average cost of insuring electric cars to fall steadily. The use of a comparison website such as ours can help drivers compare quotes and find the most competitive premiums.”
It helps around 3 million users every year find better deals on their insurance, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products and is recommended by 97% of reviewers on Reviews.co.uk.
– Commitment to be achieved by 2030, five years ahead of other supermarkets –
– Morrisons to launch ‘zero emission’ eggs in 2022 and beef by 2025 –
Morrisons has pledged to become the first supermarket to be completely supplied by ‘zero emission’ British farms by 2030 – five years ahead of the industry. The move comes after customers said they wanted their food to be as low emission and ‘green’ as possible.
Agriculture currently accounts for 10 per cent of all UK greenhouse gas emissions, with new research revealing that two thirds of people are considering the environmental impact of the food they eat[2].
Morrisons is UK farming’s biggest customer and will work directly with its farmers to create affordable zero emission produce. The first to hit shelves will be zero emission eggs by 2022, with lamb, fruit, vegetables, pork and beef following before the end of 2025.
Beef farming is the most challenging product to make greener as it currently generates 45 per cent of all UK agricultural carbon[3] emissions for only five per cent of products sold. Almost half of this is due to methane produced by the cows. Morrisons is working closely with its farms to create a zero emission beef range by 2025 by using smaller cattle breeds, low-methane feed, methane reducing supplements (such as seaweed), and by planting trees.
The National Farmers Union has asked farmers to work towards a 2040 ‘net zero’ emissions goal, with other supermarkets working towards 2035. British farming’s biggest supermarket customer, Morrisons, will work alongside its 3,000 farmers and growers to achieve this target five years earlier, in 2030.
Morrisons and a selection of its farmers are this month starting work on zero emissions ‘farm models’ that will look at the complete journey of meat and crops from germination to leaving the farm. They will serve as a blueprint – and be rolled out across all Morrisons farms to produce all food in this zero emissions way.
The models will look at reducing carbon by: rearing different animal breeds; using low food-mile feedstuffs; using renewable energy and low emission barns; and cutting water and fertiliser use. Offsetting carbon emissions will also be done by: planting grassland and clover; restoring peatland; planting trees[4]; and seeding hedgerows.
As part of the programme, Morrisons will set up the world’s first School of Sustainable Farming at Harper Adams Agricultural University to offer farming training for future generations.
The supermarket will also work with the NFU to pool farmer knowledge, Natural England on planting and water use, and will use industry experts to measure its schemes.
David Potts, Chief Executive of Morrisons, said: “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges for our generation and growing food is a key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
“As British farming’s biggest supermarket customer, we’re in a unique position to guide our farms and help lead changes in environmental practices. It’s years ahead of industry expectations – and an ambitious target – but it’s our duty to do it.”
Environment Secretary, George Eustice MP, said:“The UK is the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050. Our farmers will play a key role in achieving this.
“It is encouraging to see Morrisons commit to being supplied by net zero carbon British farms on such an ambitious timescale, helping to protect the environment for future generations.”
Morrisons UK agriculture target forms part of its plan to become ‘net zero’ for emissions by 2040, in line with the international Paris Agreement.
