Charles aims for net-zero by early ’30s

The Duchy of Cornwall – the Prince of Wales’ landed estate – has set out its ambition to reach net-zero carbon by the early 2030s.

New initiatives, which will focus on working with farm tenants to achieve the goal, were outlined in its Net Zero Carbon Report, published yesterday.

Farming contributes to 60% of Duchy supply chain (Scope 3) greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report. The Duchy has seen a 76% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 and its direct carbon emissions (Scope 1 and 2) have been net-zero since 2006.

Heir to the throne Charles, writing in the foreword, said: “This report highlights the significance of emissions arising from land use.

“Yet land has, perhaps uniquely, huge potential for helping to solve this crisis.

“This plan, therefore, entreats all tenants and partners to work with us to achieve this common goal, so that we really can deliver sustainable stewardship, for communities, enterprise and nature.”

David Cope, head of sustainability for the Duchy, said: “Our response to the climate crisis, as set out in this report, is to first acknowledge that greenhouse gas emissions from the Duchy, our tenants and our suppliers have contributed to global heating. And then secondly, we commit to decisive action, to work with tenants and suppliers to move to net-zero rapidly, so halting our contribution to the climate crisis.

“Our plans will see greenhouse gas emission reductions across all the Duchy’s property assets and we will increase the sequestration of carbon dioxide on Duchy property through promoting naturebased solutions as part of our natural capital enhancement projects.”

The initiatives include a transition plan for each farm tenant and a farming engagement toolkit with a range of supporting tools.

These ideas will be integrated into future agreements so “better than net-zero” farms will “benefit from their leading position”, the Duchy said.

A tree-planting programme will also be introduced as one of the nature-based solutions.

PRINCIPLED CHARLES: The heir to the throne says his estate can be run sustainably.