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16
Jun 2020
Harrogate Lib Dems: Calls for climate emergency fall on deaf ears
Pat Marsh said she had written to the Conservative cabinet member for sustainable transport with her calls but has not received any kind of response.
Photo: Jeremy Segrott/Flickr.
Liberal Democrat councillors have renewed their calls for Harrogate Borough Council to declare a climate emergency and demanded that the process be more transparent.
Pat Marsh said she had written to the Conservative cabinet member for sustainable transport with her calls but has not received any kind of response.
She has now written to Councillor Phil Ireland for the third time:
“I’m becoming more and more concerned about the lack of transparency in this process. I fear that your lack of response is just yet another example of the local Conservatives’ and councils’ unwillingness to engage with those with differing views.”
The local Liberal Democrats have said that the council's Climate Change Coalition should be replaced with a Citizen's Assembly on the Climate Emergency.
Read more on this story:
- Why the council cut trees down on the Stray
- When 60 cyclists join Extinction Rebellion rally in Harrogate
Council across the country have declared climate emergencies as an acknowledgment that they need to act on the causes and impacts of climate change.
They say this is the best way to attract the “fresh ideas and bold action” necessary to take on the challenge faced.
"To effectively play our part in addressing this environmental crisis, it is imperative that we declare a Climate Emergency and commit to becoming net zero carbon by 2030 at the very latest," Pat Marsh added.
What has Harrogate Borough Council done?
Harrogate Borough Council has said that it will aim to have a net zero-carbon economy by 2038.
The council said it will make sure that its own operations will be clean and efficient while helping others in the district to achieve the same.
In its carbon footprint report, the council had seen a steady fall in recent years from 9,300 tonnes in 2016/2017 to 7,900 tonnes in 2018/2019.
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