We're on a mission to reduce our carbon emissions and become net zero by 2030. Given what we do, we were already well on our way to this when we started. But there's always room for improvement!

Before we get going, though, what is net zero and what are our carbon emissions? At its simplest, net zero means that we're aiming to reduce the Trust's emissions to the smallest amount so that when nature has absorbed and stored what it can, there's none of 'our' carbon left in the atmosphere. We're already helping nature to absorb more by owning nature reserves and working with others to create space for nature. As well as reducing emissions, we want to increase activity to help nature to absorb even more. Just like you, our emissions include travel, energy use, purchases and the like. And, just like you, having the ability to create more space for nature can help some of these emissions to be absorbed.

I've been getting to grips with understanding how much carbon we emit and what we can do to help us get closer to our net zero goal. There are lots of things that we all do that we may not realise emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. Of course, there are the obvious things like petrol and diesel vehicles, non-renewable electricity use and natural gas for cooking and heating our homes. But even small things, from the items we buy to the food we eat, can be a major contributor to our own personal emissions. Making small changes for carbon benefits will often go hand-in-hand with helping wildlife too; using more sustainable materials, food and travel will help minimise our impact on the environment and wildlife. If we all do something, our small adjustments can have big impacts.

Since 2019 we've been accounting for our greenhouse gas emissions from all of the Trust's operations. We've been getting more accurate every year, adding new areas of emissions to get a better picture of our carbon footprint. This is essential if we're to make decisions on the changes needed to reduce them - we need to know which areas to target. Thanks to some investment from trustees and hard work by staff, our emissions are already falling. But there is a long way to go yet. The challenge lies within the conundrum that our biggest emitting activities are also our most essential and, therefore, are difficult to change.

In 2022, for example, livestock grazing on our nature reserves accounted for 70% of all the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the Trust. This is mainly due to the large amount of methane produced by large grazing herbivores such as cattle. Conservation grazing is essential to maintaining the rich diversity of wildflowers in our grasslands and meadows; when grazed for a short time in autumn and winter, livestock keep the coarser and more vigorous plants in check, allowing the more delicate plants to thrive. Although we may be able to reduce emissions by altering the livestock, choosing smaller breeds of cattle or choosing sheep instead of cattle (but different species eat differently and have different impacts), the majority of our emissions will always be from livestock.

Another major contributor to our emissions is our commuting and vehicle use. Logistically, this is another very difficult activity to change. There are things that we can do, though, such as increasing the number of electric vehicles being used, using a renewable energy provider for our electricity and working from home to reduce commuting.

We are also working towards implementing carbon sequestration projects. From the plants and ponds in your garden to wetlands and woodlands, we know that nature can absorb some of our emissions. We're working with others to increase habitats for wildlife that also take carbon out of the atmosphere and we're also looking at how we can create even more habitats that help wildlife and offset our own emissions that we cannot help but produce.