AS WORLD leaders continue to come together in Glasgow to tackle the climate emergency, an event in Farnham next week will bring COP26 to Surrey.

Surrey County Council will mark the UN Climate Change Conference with a special event in the town, and also by encouraging residents to get involved in tackling climate change by pledging to ‘do one thing’ to benefit the environment.

With funding from COP26 and the Great South East Energy Hub, and in collaboration with partners, the council will host ‘Greener Transport Surrey’, a transport-themed event in Farnham, Upper Hart Car Park on 10 November between 10am and 3pm.

The event, which is focused on showcasing opportunities to reduce carbon emissions through transport, will be live-streamed globally online and into the main event in Glasgow. Residents are invited to attend. Activities will include:

* Electric bike demonstrations from Canyon

* A pedal-powered Scalextric challenge

* Free bike repairs and maintenance advice

* Information from Energy Saving Trust

* Free test drives of electric cars and a van from Energy Saving Trust

* Chance to see a hydrogen bus, similar to those which will be on Surrey’s roads next year.

Information on the climate change in Surrey, and the trees programme including free seeds and saplings.

For those unable to attend in person, the council is asking residents to make changes to the way they travel that benefit the environment and to register their efforts online at https://idot-waf.org.uk

By sharing your ’one thing’ by November 30 you will be entered into a prize draw to win a Canyon e-bike.Spearheaded by the Wildlife Aid Foundation, iDot encourages residents to make changes to their behaviour to reduce their carbon footprint.

The campaign is part of Surrey County Council’s efforts to tackle the climate emergency as outlined in the recently agreed Climate Change Delivery Plan.

The Climate Change Delivery Plan sets out our priorities and actions for the next few years to help us achieve our goals of being net zero carbon as an organisation by 2030 and as a county by 2050.

Marisa Heath, Surrey County Council cabinet member for environment, said, “With 46 per cent of carbon emissions in Surrey coming from transport, we hope that this event will encourage our residents to think differently about the way they travel.

“We have recently invested over £6m to improve footpaths and cycleways for residents and over £5m to improve bus services to help residents to rely less on their cars for certain journeys.

“As just one of five successful applicants to be awarded the funding to host a COP26 Regional Roadshow, Surrey’s involvement in COP26 shows we are leading the way in driving change and I would urge all residents to play their part by pledging to do one thing to tackle climate change. If everyone takes some action to change their behaviour, the impact on reducing carbon emissions in Surrey will be significant.”