Column:Jemima Parker, Zero Carbon Harrogate - It's good to talk

​We know that to avoid the worst impacts of climate breakdown, we need to rapidly stop using gas, coal and oil to power our economy and complete our transition to clean renewable energy sources such as electricity generated by wind, solar, hydro and tidal.

Demonstrators feel this is not happening fast enough and that protesting is one way they can make their voice heard. Concern about climate change regularly tops the polls across all age groups, but particularly amongst young people who have more of their future at stake. With many people feeling that government energy policies are unclear and inconsistent, it is perhaps not surprising that Yorkshire folk will be at Westminster wanting their voice to be heard.

Big demos certainly draw media attention and raise the profile of an issue. Even small protests such as the school strikes for climate that pupils staged in Harrogate town centre can hit the headlines, with our local children featuring on the BBC lunchtime news in 2019.

It’s this media coverage which gets people thinking about these important issues and encourages us to start conversations about climate change. And by talking with our friends, family, neighbours and colleagues we can all start to make a big difference.

By sharing our concerns about the price of food or the current shortage of vegetables, we learn more about how the seasons are changing and how farmers are struggling with the weirding of the weather.

By commiserating with others about our increased energy bills we start to think more about the energy efficiency of our homes and understand our reliance on imported gas. We start to question why we’re not investing more in cheap, locally generated renewables.

By sharing the changes we’re making to live a more sustainable way of life, it encourages others to make changes too. Conversations, whether they’re over a video call or over the garden fence, give us a chance to share our ideas, show support and vent our frustrations.

So if you want to do more to tackle the climate crisis, remember it’s good to talk! Share your stories of how you cut your energy use, your best new veggie recipe or your latest car-free journey.

At Zero Carbon Harrogate we know conversations are important. Over the past seven years we have had hundreds of them with local politicians, business people, organisation leaders and local residents. We have been making our voices heard and we can see the difference it has made.

Why not join us to make your voice heard? You can find Zero Carbon Harrogate on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – we'd love to hear from you!