THE bonnie banks of Loch Lomond have been identified as a key area for the UK in the fight against climate change.

A new report from climate change scientist Mark Maslin found that planting on just 2 per cent of the UK’s land would absorb the emissions of every vehicle in the UK and would have the same impact as 75 per cent of the country switching to a vegan diet for a year.

The report was commissioned by Seventh Generation, an eco-friendly household cleaning company, alongside plant conservation experts Plantlife, as part of a new campaign to get plants higher up the climate change agenda.

The report highlights that, although plants could account for more than a third (37 per cent) of the required cuts by 2050 under the UK Climate Change Act, they currently take up just 7 per cent of public discussion around climate change – reflecting a major imbalance at government level.

The campaign, 'Yes, Plants Can', was launched on Thursday with a petition calling on the Government to meet its commitment to create or restore 500,000 hectares of species rich habitat for the next generation.

The campaign says meeting this commitment would:

* Absorb the yearly equivalent emissions of all vehicles registered in the UK

* Absorb the equivalent emissions of every London bus 60 times over

* Have the same impact as 50 million Brits switching to a vegan diet for a year.

A new poll, commissioned alongside the report, also reveals powerful public support for plant-based solutions, with a majority (52 per cent) of the 2,000 adults polled voting in favour of paying more tax to restore biodiverse landscapes, and more than two-thirds (70 per cent) expressing a desire to see greater government funding.

The report also reveals that the full potential of plants to help fight climate change is even greater than the Government’s current ambitions and could account for a third (37per cent) of the required cuts by 2050 under the UK Climate Change Act.

This would be achieved through optimum management of bogs, grasslands, arable and horticultural lands, and by increasing forest cover to 18 per cent of the UK.

Mark Maslin, professor of earth system science at University College London, and the author of the report, said: “Not only are we not currently using plants to their full potential, but we also have among the lowest rates of forest cover in Europe at 13 per cent, compared with France (37 per cent), Germany (32 per cent), Belgium (32 per cent), Italy (35 per cent), Spain (37 per cent), Norway (37 per cent), Austria (47 per cent), Greece (28 per cent), Sweden (69 per cent) and Finland (72 per cent).

Outside of Europe, Japan has the same number of people per square mile and has 67 per cent forest cover. There’s no reason why we can’t do better."

Jenny Hawley, senior policy officer at Plantlife, added: “We welcome the Government’s promise to restore and create 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat for the next generation.

"Even more, we look forward to seeing a clear plan, funding and targets in place to deliver on this.

"Biodiverse landscapes like peat bogs, ancient woodland and species-rich grassland have a powerful role to play in helping fight the effects of climate change and yet they remain vulnerable to destruction because of ineffective legal protection.

"We need to restore, protect and love them. Urgently.”