The Bishop of Salisbury has welcomed a promise from the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.

The Church of England’s lead on environmental affairs - the Right Reverend Nicholas Holtam - has welcomed the news that the government will set itself a stricter target on climate change.

The government has promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero by 2050.

He said: “Christians and people of all faiths have long called for action on climate change to both preserve the natural world on which we all rely, and to protect God’s creation for generations to come.”

The new aim - known as “net zero” - means emissions from homes, farming, industry and transport will have to be cut to nothing, or offset by planting more trees or sucking CO2 from the atmosphere.

Bishop Nicholas said: “The impacts of climate change affect all of us, but the world’s poorest are most vulnerable to extreme weather events and the least able to cope with these impacts, making it imperative for us as Christians to push to action to deal with these threats. This is a moral issue, not one to be solely decided on how much it will cost.

“Ours is the first generation to know truly the full scale of the risks posed by climate change and may be the last to be able to do anything.”