What is net zero and why does it matter for nature?

We are facing nature loss on a catastrophic scale. Globally, one million species are threatened with extinction, while in Great Britain the latest State of Nature report found that we stand to lose one in six species from our shores.  

One of the key factors behind this nature loss is climate change. Here in the UK, for example, warmer seas have caused food shortages for seabirds, such as Puffins and Kittiwakes, making it more difficult for them to find enough food to feed their chicks.  

Climate change also presents a fundamental threat to people, with rising sea levels and more extreme weather events, such as prolonged droughts, intense heat and severe storms and floods, threatening the way we live.   

We are already seeing the impact of climate change in the UK – we have more rainfall, more frequent extreme weather events, and our winters and summers are both warmer. This is detrimental to our wildlife, our farming and our economy. 

The main driver of climate change is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. These release carbon dioxide into the air which acts like a blanket, trapping the sun’s heat and causing the planet to heat up.  

The Earth is already about 1.45°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s and scientists warn that any further increase must be limited to 1.5°C to preserve a liveable planet. An increase of 2°C is deemed to be the tipping point at which we would destabilise the planet’s climate. This would lead to a sharp increase in catastrophic weather, such as extreme heatwaves and flooding; more mass extinctions of wildlife; and a cascade of other dangerous effects, such as melting of the polar ice sheets and permafrost that store greenhouse gases. The impacts on our economy and our children’s future would be devastating.  

In 2015, world leaders, including representatives of the UK Government, came together at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, where they reached what’s known as the Paris Agreement.  

This calls on all nations to pursue efforts to keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C, by reducing carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050.   

By 2050 we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, produced by activities such as burning fossil fuels and destroying peatlands, to as close to zero as possible, with the small amount of remaining emissions mainly absorbed through natural carbon sinks like forests, oceans and wetlands. If we can ensure that we add no more carbon into the atmosphere than the amount removed, global emissions of greenhouse gases will be ‘net zero’. 

Put simply, net zero means cutting the amount of climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2) so that, on balance, zero emissions are going into the atmosphere by 2050.  

At current rates of progress, neither the UK nor most other countries are on track to reach net zero emissions by 2050.  

Many natural processes remove carbon from the atmosphere, and so nature has a vital role in the fight against climate change and in helping us to reach net zero. For example, trees absorb carbon dioxide and, when healthy, natural habitats such as peatlands lock away carbon. Even whales accumulate huge amounts of carbon in their bodies, which is then incorporated into seabed sediments when they die and sink to the sea floor.  

Sadly, however, the destruction of forests, peatlands and other carbon-storing ecosystems has led to an increase in greenhouse gases – although fossil fuels remain by far the biggest source of emissions. 

The crisis facing our wildlife and the problem of climate change are intrinsically connected. So, to tackle climate change, we also need to restore nature. Restoring ecosystems is an important and cost-effective way to reabsorb carbon from the atmosphere and support wildlife at the same time. Peatland conservation, for example, is a key part of the RSPB’s land management work and so we’re working with partners across the UK to restore these precious habitats. 

By restoring, maintaining and creating more green spaces, such as native woodlands and peatlands, we’re not only tackling climate change, but also creating vital habitats for wildlife. 

In summary: 

• Climate change and the threats to nature are intrinsically connected – we cannot fix one without fixing the other.  
• We believe we can work to achieve net zero and protect and restore UK nature at the same time. 
• To do so, we need policies and frameworks that support investment in protecting and restoring our nature- and carbon-rich habitats, and in new energy projects that help us move to net zero.