The crucial aim of Harrogate achieving a net-zero carbon economy by 2038 has been brought into sharper focus this month with the launch of the district’s first Climate Action Festival.

But what is a net-zero carbon economy and how can Harrogate achieve it?

Put simply, net-zero means the district’s economy will no longer be adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

So, are we moving fast enough towards this aim?

Stephen Scales of campaign group Zero Carbon Harrogate says not.

Retrofitting homes to make them more energy efficient and cutting car use are just two things Mr Scales says can be done to counter the devastating impacts of rising global temperatures.

The past decade was the warmest on record and governments agree urgent collective action is needed.

That is why the upcoming COP26 summit in Glasgow at the end of the month is being seen as the most crucial yet if climate change is to be brought under control.

Most countries will set out their plans to reduce emissions, with the UK government this week announcing another big push towards electric vehicles, more tree planting and £5,000 grants for homeowners to replace their gas boilers with low-carbon heat pumps.

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Major council projects such as Harrogate’s £10.9m Gateway scheme and North Yorkshire’s £116m Bus Service Improvement Plan are all indicators of the direction of travel local leaders believe we must take.

There are also other active travel schemes including Harrogate’s first Low Traffic Neighbourhood on Beech Grove with cutting short car journeys being a key aim for the town’s congested roads.

These projects of course require a delicate balancing act to support the local economy – and Zero Carbon Harrogate’s Mr Scales believes more people are now “starting to grasp the benefits of making the changes we need to go carbon net-zero.”

A council pledge to plant thousands of trees covering more than 40 acres and an aim to get 10,000 electric on the roads by 2023 are two other areas of how Harrogate hopes to achieve carbon net-zero.

But still there are concerns that the district will miss its key targets without more decisive action.

A spokesperson for the Harrogate and District Green Party said:

Harrogate Borough Council will next month launch a public consultation on its revised carbon reduction strategy, while progress on North Yorkshire County Council’s carbon reduction plan is to be discussed by councillors on Thursday.