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Reducing the effects of climate change

Subject overview

The UK Government is leading the world in cutting emissions of greenhouse gases to reduce the effects of climate change. Defra has a major role to play in this, both through its influence in major sectors like agriculture, waste and energy efficiency standards, and in its position as a champion of sustainable development and the environment.

State of play

Defra has made a commitment to reduce emissions in the sectors it influences by 2020 and on to 2050. These commitments are set out in the Government’s Low Carbon Transition Plan. These include:

helping farmers to use fertilisers more efficiently
encouraging private funding to plant more forests
supporting anaerobic digestion, a technology that turns waste into renewable energy
further reducing the amount of waste that is sent to landfill

We are also working across Government to make sure that our plans to tackle climate change, such as through a large increase in renewable energy, are not at the expense of the natural environment and are sustainable in the long term.

For example, we are working with the Department for Energy and Climate Change to decide whether a renewable energy project in the Severn Estuary would make sense considering both the negative impacts it would have on this important environmental area and its potential for huge carbon savings.