New report finds Cairngorms National Park could reach net zero well ahead of target

The Cairngorms National Park could be net zero within the next three years if it delivers on recently approved Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan targets. The new report also shows that the National Park will continue to sequester significant amounts of carbon from 2025 onwards, helping Scotland and the UK meet their 2045 and 2050 targets.

Independent carbon accounting specialists, Small World Consulting, have been commissioned by all 15 UK national parks to produce detailed greenhouse gas emissions assessments. The report for the Cairngorms National Park shows that with fewer residents and visitors compared to other UK national parks, and far more capacity for carbon storage, the Cairngorms could reach net zero by 2025 following the targets set out in the Partnership Plan.

The report was presented to Park Authority Board members today (Friday 25 November). They were asked to consider the greenhouse gas emissions assessment for the National Park, noting the target scenario to reach net zero early, as well as the National Park’s proportionately greater capacity for carbon sequestration compared to other areas of the UK.

The climate crisis and the need to adapt to climate change and to reach net zero are globally accepted priorities, guided by science, as such the Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan and the ‘Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030’ programme both set out clear targets to ensure that the Cairngorms National Park reaches net zero and then becomes carbon negative, contributing to helping Scotland meet its commitments.

The Partnership Plan includes specific commitments to create a minimum of 35,000 ha of new woodland cover by 2045, restore a minimum of 38,000 ha of peatland, work with farmers and other land managers to encourage sustainable land management, and ensure at least 50 per cent of the National Park is managed principally for ecological restoration by 2045.