Environment Secretary David Miliband has suggested that farming will undergo massive changes in the upcoming decades, in response to the ongoing environmental crisis.
"The majority of land will remain farmland, but the environmental footprint of farms must change, he told a Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) conference. “This will require major change - farming methods that reduce water pollution and soil erosion, and greater use of biofuels.”
Miliband called for a ‘radical rethink about land use to take account of climate change impacts and to enhance the quality and beauty of our environment.’
He also spoke of how specially-designated environmental zones alongside rivers and waterways could help rejuvenate Britain’s natural landscape. Looking at how land designations can be climate change-proofed, Miliband said there was ‘potential to put the green back into the green belt’ as well as the development of 'turquoise belts' alongside rivers and waterways to protect homes against flooding while improving biodiversity and recreation.
“The way we use and manage land fundamentally affects our economy, our environment, and our social cohesion,” he said. “We face new pressures that will force changes in how land is used and managed, from demographic change to climate change. Preservation of the status quo is not an option.
"I want to ask 'what is land for?' and why do we value land? We need a new consensus and a new vision for Britain and how it makes the most out if its land. We need to create a country where we get more economic, social and environmental value from our land will require reforms to our systems of planning, land use and agriculture.’
Miliband stressed that climate change meant that land use would have to change, with more used to generate low-carbon energy through wind-farms, solar power and biofuels, as well as forests and wetlands to absorb carbon emissions.
“There will continue to be a need for development, the question is where should it take place and what sort should it be. We must move towards zero-carbon development. Where development is taking place, it is possible to massively reduce its environmental footprint.”