Nine cyclists arrived in Harrogate last night on the fifth day of their tour from Brighton to Glasgow for the UN climate change conference Cop26.
The cyclists are travelling across the UK ahead of Cop26 to talk to people about what they can do to go green.
The group set off from Loughborough yesterday morning and made it to Harrogate by 5.30pm.
One of the cyclists, Sophie Gordon, said the aim was to make people aware of the small changes they can make that have a big impact.
Travelling with banners and flags, the cyclists have been stopped by people wanting to discuss projects, such as planting trees or driving electric vehicles.
Ms Gordon, from Guildford, said:
“We all felt a bit helpless about the environmental crisis and everything we could see going on around us and we knew we couldn’t miss COP26 since it was so close in Glasgow.
“We just want to inspire people to get involved and make it happen.”
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Last night the group went the The Old Bell, in Harrogate, to host a quiz and talk to people to find out their concerns and see what can be done to tackle them.
Ms Gordon is as an avid cyclist who works for a cycling charity and said she hoped the government would invest more in cycling infrastructure across the UK to combat vehicle emissions.
Harrogate businesses come together to target net-zero emissionsHarrogate’s business community met today to discuss how to meet the challenges of climate change and net-zero emissions.
The Business Net Zero Conference is being held all day at the Harrogate Convention Centre and has been organised by Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition.
It’s part of the Climate Action Festival that is taking place all month in the district in the run up to the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.
Today’s speakers included representatives from Techbuyer, Transdev, Yorkshire Water and Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate.
‘A sign of hope’
The Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, opened the day by challenging business people in the room whether their goal was profit “at all costs” or developing a social and environmental mission.
She said:
“Today’s conference is a sign of hope but we shouldn’t underestimate the challenges.”
Harrogate-resident Professor Piers Forster, from the University of Leeds, offered a scientific grounding to the debate during his speech.
Prof Forster sits on the UK government’s climate change committee and will be heading to the COP26 summit to help negotiate ambitious climate targets with other governments.
He showed a video of frightening wildfires in Canada caused by greenhouse gas emissions. However, he emphasised that he is optimistic that change can happen if businesses get on board.
“It’s within our power to change where we end up together.”
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Decentralisation of energy
Jennifer Woodhall, marketing director of Harrogate firm Chameleon Technology also spoke. The company is a Harrogate success story as its smart meters are in seven million homes across the UK.
Ms Woodhall said decentralisation of energy was essential to avoid the volatility that is currently engulfing the market.
“We can’t rely on a few, large sources of power.”
Paul Haslam, a Conservative councillor on Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council, as well as a Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition member, told the Stray Ferret he hoped the conference would become an annual event.
“It’s great we’ve got to this point. I’m delighted and we’ve got some fantastic speakers. It will be bigger and better next year.”
Pictured are: (from left) Jemima Parker, Cllr Paul Haslam, Prof Neil Coles, the Bishop of Ripon, Jennifer Woodhall, Cllr Phil Ireland, Jade Boggost, Kirsty Hallett, Prof Piers Forster
Climate activists to march through HarrogateClimate change activists marching from Spain to the COP26 summit in Glasgow will pass through Harrogate on Saturday.
The group, which calls itself Marcha a Glasgow and has support from Extinction Rebellion Harrogate, set off from Bilbao last month and is stopping all the way up the UK during its 1,000-kilometre march.
It is due to arrive in Harrogate at about 6pm on Saturday.
The group wants to raise awareness of the effects of climate change and put pressure on governments to sign up to ambitious environmental commitments at COP26.
Nine Spanish activists are walking some 30 km a day but people can join them for sections by emailing here.
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The majority of the march will take place alongside roads because the group wants to make sure it is seen by as many people as possible.
A spokesperson for Marcha a Glasgow said:
“We are surprised and very thankful for the warm welcomes we have received along our way in England so far. We need to take note of what the science is clearly saying and take responsibility.“This means changing our economic model, which is dependant on ever-growing CO2 emissions. We need to learn to find prosperity without abusing the natural world. There is much to be done!”