Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the role of carbon offsetting in his plans to decarbonise the UK's strategic road network by 2050.

National Highways (formerly Highways England) published its “Net Zero Highways Plan” in July, setting out how it will achieve net zero for the whole strategic road network (SRN) by 2050. National Highways’ focus is to achieve net zero rather than carbon neutral. This means reducing emissions to zero, or close to zero, with minimal use of offsets for residual emissions. As National Highways works towards net zero, it is using carbon offsets for projects being delivered in the interim. National Highways’ plans also include planting additional trees on its own land to lock up carbon.

National Highways is committed to 100% corporate emissions being net zero in 2030 without purchased offsetting. By 2040, 100% of National Highways’ maintenance and construction schemes will also be net zero, and where there are residual emissions these will be offset using robust certified ‘removal’ offsets. National Highways has set a net zero, rather than a carbon neutral, goal to keep our focus on emissions reduction and innovation to get to close to near zero schemes.