TACKLING climate change - a low carbon Ilkley? will be under discussion at the first major event to be organised by an environmental campaign group.

Climate Action Ilkley (CAI) is hosting the event at 7.30pm on Wednesday, December 5 at the Clarke Foley Centre.

CAI aims to enable residents to reduce Ilkley’s carbon emissions and learn more about climate change.

The speaker will be Professor Andy Gouldson, chairman of the Leeds Climate Commission and a leading expert on the economics of tackling climate change.

His talk is entitled ‘Tackling Climate Change at the Local Level: What prospects for a low carbon Ilkley?’ and afterwards he will answer questions from the audience.

Tickets for the event are free, with optional donations on the night. They are available via the Eventbrite website - search on 5 December, Prof Andy Gouldson.

A new report published by the Met Office has shown that not only has the world already warmed by about one degree, but that the UK has already experienced more extreme weather.

Dr John Marsham, Leeds University climate scientist and Ilkley resident, responding to this report on BBC News 24, said: “This is entirely consistent with climate change projections.

“What is particularly striking is the increase in heavy rainfall events - rainfall on extremely wet days has increased by 17 per cent, increasing flooding.”

Dr Marsham is a new member of the recently formed community group Climate Action Ilkley.

He added: “We have to reduce emissions by 49 per cent in the next 11 years and 100 per cent in the next 31 years to avoid destruction of all coral reefs, and so all species that depends on them, in the lifetime of children alive today.

“We largely have the technology to do this, it is now largely a matter of public and political will.”

The work of Climate Action Ilkley has been endorsed by Ilkley Town Council who in June this year resolved to support the campaign group to develop local initiatives. Town councillor Mark Stidworthy is liaising with CAI.

This has helped CAI to raise awareness of its aims locally. Members have held awareness raising events on The Grove to spread the message that if action is taken locally, Ilkley and the surrounding area can take a lead in becoming a zero carbon community.