Give up red meat, plant millions of trees and replace your gas boiler, climate change committee advises

BRITAIN should eat less red meat, plant millions of trees and build a new generation of onshore wind turbines under radical plans to hit “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The climate change committee, a government advisory body, is expected on Thursday to recommend abandoning the existing target to reduce the UK’S greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by that date.

It will instead recommend that all greenhouse gases, including carbon, methane and nitrous oxide, are eradicated by the same date.

The committee’s report will recommend a series of measures to help meet the target, including a suggestion that less red meat in people’s diets could reduce methane produced by livestock.

Other recommendations include replacing domestic gas boilers and planting millions of trees.

Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, and Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, are separately expected to give a presentation at Cabinet tomorrow on improving air quality.

It came as Labour’s demands for a “national climate emergency” declaration were criticised after it emerged that a council run by the party supported plans for a new coal mine.

Jeremy Corbyn will attempt to force a vote in Parliament this week to declare a national and environmental climate change emergency.

Mr Corbyn, the Labour leader, said the recent wave of protests which paralysed parts of central London were “a massive and necessary wake-up call”.

He demanded “rapid and dramatic action, which only concerted government action and a green industrial revolution can deliver”.

However the Greens have accused Labour of failing to “put their money where their mouth is” after Labour-run Cumbria County Council opted to allow the first new deep coal mine in the UK for decades to be built. Amelia Womack, Green Party deputy leader, told Huff Post: “Being serious about tackling climate change with the urgency it requires means taking radical, bold action right now. You cannot tackle climate destruction while supporting airport expansion, or, as is happening in Sue Hayman’s own back yard, the approval of a new coal mine.”

A Labour spokesman said: “As the most carbon intense way of generating electricity, there is no future for coal as part of the UK’S power mix, and most coal should be left in the ground. However, producing steel at scale currently relies on coking coal, and steel will be required to build out the UK’S green infrastructure.

“Most importantly, Labour will drive huge investments in former coal mining regions that were decimated by Thatcher in the Eighties.”

‘Being serious about tackling climate change with the urgency it requires means radical, bold action now’