The UK aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. To reach this target we need to use alternatives to fossil fuels. However, as some industries are hard to decarbonise fully, we must also remove carbon from the atmosphere.

One way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remove them from the atmosphere is by growing crops that are used as a source of renewable energy, and  coupling this with carbon capture and storage technology. This is called bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

However, more needs to be understood about how the large-scale planting of perennial biomass crops used in BECCS affects the environment.

The team from Aberystwyth University carried out long-term studies into how changing land use from grassland to biomass crops affects the environment. They also studied the impacts of changing land use from biomass crops back to grassland.

Informing government policy on Net Zero

Members of the team worked with the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) and government departments to influence government policy and legislation on the role of biomass crops in a low carbon economy, the use of land to reach net zero, and how these messages should be communicated.

The UK government has used the team’s research and advice to:

  • inform its environment policy
  • understand how biomass crops and land use can help achieve its net zero targets

BECCS as a rapidly deployable approach was included in the 2019 CCC Net Zero Report, which advised the government to be more ambitious in tackling climate change, including by removing greenhouse gases and setting a net zero target. As a result, the UK was the first major economy to pass net-zero emissions into law.

The team’s research has also had an impact on industry, attracting investment in bioenergy and changes in farming practices.

Research team

Professor Iain Donnison, Professor John Clifton-Brown, Dr Kerrie Farrar and Dr Paul Robson – Aberystwyth University

Read the full REF impact case study