Environment Agency targets net zero by 2030 and absolute zero by 2050

Chair Emma Howard Boyd last week announced the Environment Agency has set itself the goal of becoming a net zero organisation by 2030.

Speaking at a meeting of the Aldersgate Group, Howard Boyd (pictured), said the agency would adopt a tough, internationally recognised definition of net zero, which includes:

• the carbon it produces itself (which is currently 44,000 tonnes a year).

• the carbon it consumes through its supply chain (136,000 tonnes a year).

The plan is to cut emissions 45% by 2030, and offset what remains through activities including tree planting, restoring soil quality and peat bogs.

Howard Boyd added: “Hitting net zero in 2030 is already very ambitious. But we want to be more ambitious still. So as we move forward we will also explore whether we can become an absolute zero organisation – one that does not produce any carbon at all – by 2050.”

She said success will require focus, innovation and “a wholesale cultural shift by our employees, partners and suppliers”. The Agency will report on progress as it goes along.