National Trust Lays Out Ambitious Climate Plan to Hit Net-Zero by 2030

Five years after setting out its bold ambition to become a net-zero carbon charity by 2030, the National Trust has unveiled its first official climate transition plan — and it’s aiming big.

The plan lays out how the charity intends to cut its absolute carbon footprint by at least 50% by 2030 compared to 2019–2020 levels. Importantly, it doesn’t rely on carbon offsetting to hit its target. Instead, it plans to use its vast landholdings — 250,000 hectares in total — to absorb more carbon than it emits.

Much of this land, over 200,000 hectares, is farmed by tenants, and those farms currently represent nearly half of the Trust’s total emissions. To tackle that, the Trust will work directly with farmers to shift to lower-emission practices and invest in measures that boost the land’s ability to store carbon. That includes peatland restoration, tree planting, and smarter soil management.

“While many of the farmers on National Trust land are already farming in a nature-friendly way, we can become even better partners to restore nature together and inspire others – building a movement for change,” the document states.

“We recognise that there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to farming. And we will continue to listen and work collaboratively with the farmers managing the land in our care, as critical players in our climate action transition and nature goals.”

Also highlighted in the plan is the importance of engaging with policymakers on the agricultural transition: “Key areas such as… how well agri-environment schemes are supported lie largely beyond our direct control, yet they influence our ability to cut emissions.

“Support through agri-environment schemes is especially important in helping us restore nature and manage land in more sustainable ways. When progress in these areas is delayed or uncertain, it affects how quickly and effectively we can make change happen on the ground.”

One of the biggest challenges? Data and policy. The Trust is prioritising better systems for collecting climate data from farms, while also pushing for stronger collaboration with farmers themselves. But it’s also calling on policymakers to step up. As the Trust’s report notes, areas like subsidy design and agri-environment schemes are out of its hands, yet they have a huge impact on its ability to cut emissions.

Recent moves by the UK Government haven’t made things easier. A sudden decision to halt applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) sparked backlash and was only reversed after legal pressure from the National Farmers’ Union. Meanwhile, although Chancellor Rachel Reeves preserved the £2.7 billion annual budget for sustainable farming in her latest Spending Review, she also confirmed that core funding for Defra will face a real-terms cut, dropping from £4.8bn to £4.7bn by 2028–29, once inflation is factored in.

The Trust isn’t just focused on farms. Since 2019, it has already slashed its absolute emissions by 31%. It now plans to continue cutting 5% every year through the rest of the decade. To hit those numbers, it’s looking at every part of its operation.

Among the key areas:

• Improving energy efficiency across its buildings

• Expanding onsite renewable energy and low-carbon heating

• Transitioning its fleet of vehicles to electric

• Making low-carbon travel more accessible for visitors and staff

• Overhauling its supply chain, especially construction and retail operations

• Reshaping its £1.5 billion investment portfolio to avoid high-emission holdings

Scope 3 emissions, the indirect ones, make up about 97% of the Trust’s carbon footprint. Beyond tenanted farms, major sources include investments (21.8%) and purchased goods and services (16.5%).

In recent years, the Trust has already divested fossil fuels and is now phasing out underperforming high-emission funds. It’s also begun working directly with around 200 of its biggest suppliers to understand how they’re progressing on their climate plans.

Regarding purchased goods and services, of which the Trust procures £450m annually, the plan notes: “Procurement across the National Trust is highly decentralised, with more than 20,000 suppliers and only one-third of emissions linked to centrally managed contracts.

“Many of our suppliers are SMEs, which brings challenges in engagement and data gathering, but also a great opportunity to influence positive change across a wide and diverse network.”

Although the Trust wasn’t legally required to produce this transition plan, it believes the move is necessary — both to lead by example and to manage long-term risks. The plan will be updated every three years, with annual progress reports aligned with the recommendations of the UK’s Transition Plan Taskforce.

Ultimately, the Trust says this is about more than hitting net zero. It’s about transparency, accountability, and building a truly sustainable future — not just for the charity, but for the land, communities, and ecosystems it stewards.

“This is designed to be a living document, and we’ll review it as policy and science evolve, and as we learn from our progress,” said the Trust’s director of land and nature, Harry Bowell.

“Crucially, it’s about working with others. The scale of the climate and nature crises is such that we need to work in close partnership and collaboration with others – from farmers and landowners to communities, visitors, our supply chains, and of course with Government.”