A MAJOR event to spark debate about how best to tackle climate change will take place next week.

North Ayrshire Council has organised the Climate Change Convention on Thursday, March 12 as they look to drive real and significant change across the region.

Kathryn Dapre, Chair of Sustainable Network Scotland, and Ellie Murtagh from. Adaptation Scotland will be speaking at the event in Saltcoats Town Hall.

School pupils, representatives from community groups, energy suppliers, supermarkets, food outlets, and a range of stakeholders have been invited to take part.

At a meeting of Cabinet in January, the council vowed to ensure that North Ayrshire achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 after previously calling a climate emergency.

They hope to set aside a £5 million Climate Emergency Fund – subject to Full Council approval at its annual budget meeting - to develop a range of proposals.

The Council has reduced carbon emissions by 40% since 2005 and want to make similar reductions in the next decade.

Council leader Joe Cullinane said: “The climate emergency is an existential threat to our planet that requires urgent action to be taken, at all levels of government, across the globe to rapidly cut carbon emissions. In North Ayrshire we have a real chance to lead from the front and set the agenda.”

“We’ve made our position clear and have set ourselves an ambitious target of having net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.”We want as many people on board as possible. We need buy-in from staff, community partners and local businesses to accelerate the changes we need to make.

“Thankfully we have had lots of support and hopefully there will be even more over the coming weeks and months. The Convention will allow us to meet with a range of people, from various backgrounds, to get their views and ideas on how we can all move forward together.”

The Council is looking to explore a range of proposals over the coming months.

These include:

· engaging with higher education establishments to develop proposals for a solar farm project

· opportunities to further increase the generation of renewable energy

· development of innovative energy efficient homes using the evidence based Sustainable Demonstrator Home project

· working in partnership to identify and implement sustainable opportunities for local businesses and Council assets.

· investing in new technologies to deliver low carbon heat and energy supplies across domestic, non-domestic and transport sectors

· Introduction of an Electric Vehicle (EV) Strategy, utilising available funding to install EV charge points across North Ayrshire to encourage and support uptake of EV’s.

As well as hearing from the speakers, there will be an opportunity to ask questions and roundtable discussions will take place on various issues.

Anyone interested in attending can email leader@north-ayrshire.gov.uk.

If you are unable to join us on the evening we will be live streaming presentations and the Q&A sessions with our panel of speakers on twitter (North Ayrshire Council Leader account) and on the NA facebook page. You can also email any questions you have on climate change to the aforementioned leader email address.

The event takes place from 6pm-8pm