SECONDARY school pupils from across the borough will take part in a climate summit hosted by the council, this week.

Pupils will debate solutions to the climate emergency in the summit organised by Reading Borough Council (RBC).

The Council Leadership will welcome seven local schools to the council’s chambers on Friday December 6, to participate in a special event modelled on next month’s United Nations Climate Conference in Spain.

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Throughout 2019, experts have escalated their warnings of the damaging impacts of fossil fuels, environmental degradation and livestock farming on the planet’s climate, leading to student strikes and protests sweeping the world.

In response to the climate crisis, the UK government has pledged to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050 and more than 150 councils including Reading Borough have declared a climate emergency.

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The Reading schools' climate conference, organised by InterClimate Network, an education charity, will see more than 70 local students take on the role of government negotiators, representing large and rich countries such the UK and USA, as well as small or vulnerable countries like Fiji and Bangladesh.

The students will debate how each country can cooperate to reduce carbon emissions, and they will also propose everyday actions that can make a difference in their own schools and wider school communities across the Reading area.

Councillor Tony Page, RBC's Lead Member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, and a member of the Reading Climate Change Partnership Board, said: “This is always a truly inspiring event where young people from across Reading show their passion for the environment and tackling climate change.

"This year’s Conference will be the biggest yet, with seven schools due to attend, and will build on the success of last year’s event.

“Reading is leading by example by cutting its own carbon footprint by 50 per cent between 2005 and 2017, which puts the town 9th out of 400 authority areas in the UK and the best in the whole of the south-east.

"This is the first conference since the Council declared a climate emergency in Reading and I look forward to hearing more ideas on how we can all work toward a zero carbon town by 2030.”

The Conference keynote speech will be delivered by Mike Barry, former Director of Sustainability at Marks & Spencer, who said: “It’s great to join the Reading Schools’ Climate Conference.

"Young people are pressing for change to every aspect of our lives in response to the Climate Crisis. Today we are listening to them and helping them develop plans to make change happen."