Harrow Council wants to change people’s environmental habits as it seeks to achieve carbon neutrality in the borough by 2030.

It released its latest action plan last week, which outlined its response to the ‘climate emergency’ it declared in 2019.

This includes encouraging behavioural changes among those living and working in Harrow to try and reduce the amount of pollution in the borough.

The report stated: “The situation is serious and there is an urgent imperative to act in order to help mitigate worsening social, environmental and economic outcomes of climate change.

“However, it is increasingly clear that doing so also offers the opportunity for radical and positive change across a wide range of areas that matter most to people in their day to day lives, including cleaner air, greener spaces, warmer homes, healthier travel and a thriving economy.”

For 2020/21, the council will spend £150,000 on tackling the climate emergency, covering staff costs as well as external support and advice on how to reduce carbon emissions.

Statistics showed that Harrow residents produce an estimated equivalent of 132,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year through flying.

The council noted that this is likely to be an underestimate but is still higher than the total amount of CO2 produced by road travel in the borough.

As well as reducing the number of journeys by plane, the council wants its residents to think about how they consume goods and services, including the environmental impact of their diet and shopping habits.

And it continues to push its campaign for more sustainable travel in everyday life by reducing the number of cars on the road and encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport.

The council added that it is undertaking work to make homes and commercial buildings more energy efficient by improving insulation and supporting alternatives to gas heating.