Planting forests covering 1.2 million hectares – equivalent to the more than seven times the area of Greater London – should be an immediate priority if the UK is to achieve zero net emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050. That’s the key recommendation of a joint report by the UK Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The report is the first assessment of practical steps to help the UK reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide and meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement to stabilise global warming . …