{"id":29865,"date":"2021-09-09T13:17:38","date_gmt":"2021-09-09T12:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=29865"},"modified":"2021-09-09T19:49:40","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T18:49:40","slug":"climate-change-is-a-class-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=29865","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Climate change is a class issue\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As extreme weather events increase with ferocious force; as air pollution claims exponentially more lives; and as crop yields wither in once-abundant regions around the world, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a growing consensus that the climate emergency is no longer just an abstract conversation.<\/p>\n

The \u00e2\u20ac\u0098what if\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 of a climate emergency is now a terrifying \u00e2\u20ac\u0098what is\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and what we do about it now will determine the future of every single worker and citizen, both in the UK and across the globe.<\/p>\n

In August, the UN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a landmark study<\/a> that threw into sharp relief the urgency of the situation. It highlighted that human activity has changed the climate to such an extreme extent that some of the damage is simply now \u00e2\u20ac\u0098irreversible\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

But as a UN Secretary General Ant\u0102\u0142nio Guterres noted, if we act fast \u00e2\u20ac\u015bwe can avoid climate catastrophe\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, adding that \u00e2\u20ac\u015bthere is no time for delay and no room for excuses\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why Unite will launch a new Environmental Taskforce, ahead of this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s COP26 climate change conference hosted in Glasgow, to educate members and to raise working people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s concerns to the top of the agenda in the global climate emergency conversation.<\/p>\n

Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s education department is behind the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new initiative, and its director Jim Mowatt explains why the Unite Environmental Taskforce has never been more necessary.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098One common denominator\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA giant organisation like Unite has a very diverse membership, but the one common denominator is the impact of the climate crisis on all of these individuals as citizens,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Jim explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd we acknowledge too that the impact will differ on individuals as workers. To meet the UN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s climate change objectives, in some sectors, the impact on workers will be immediate.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

These sectors include, for example, steel and fossil fuels, both of which are very carbon-intensive industries. But Jim noted too there are other sectors which will be impacted by climate change that aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t often spoken about.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn the not-for-profit sector, our members in housing associations will be affected because housing will need to be completely retrofitted to meet our carbon-reduction targets. The government has committed to taking out 28m gas boilers from homes and replacing them. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not so obvious but it will have a huge impact on our members in housing associations.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd beyond the workplace, there are many non-employment concerns such as clean air that affect all of us. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why the Taskforce was created \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to cover all those different interests. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reflected in the membership of the Taskforce which runs the gamut from ordinary members such librarians to national secretaries, researchers and outside consultants,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098A just transition\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

At the heart of Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Environmental Taskforce is what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s called a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098just transition\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, a set of policies which aims to secure the future and livelihoods of workers and their communities in the shift to a low-carbon, climate resilient economy.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bA just transition is the exact opposite of what happened in the mining industry in the 80s and 90s,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Jim explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeople lost their jobs and were left with nothing. What we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re saying now is that there should be a transition programme worked out by the government so that people can get decent jobs. If your job is at risk then it is incumbent upon the government through employers to get you suitable alternative employment.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Jim argued that such a programme would mean that when jobs are created in, for example, the wind energy or carbon capture sector, those jobs should go to people who will be displaced by the demands needed to meet our climate change obligations, such as workers employed in coal-fired power stations.<\/p>\n

But in order to successfully demand that a just transition become the cornerstone of the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s climate change policies, it is absolutely vital that workers and trade unionists are aware of what exactly a just transition entails, so that they themselves can lead the conversation about their futures.<\/p>\n

Jim noted that the RMT recently surveyed its members in the North Sea oil industry and 91 per cent had never even heard of a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098just transition\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis survey is emblematic of many workforces across the UK,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur members are largely unaware, even those in oil refineries which are very much threatened by climate change policies.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s education department, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s our job to educate them \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to ensure they are fully aware of the realities which confront them. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s our job to make sure all our members, reps and officers fully understand the repercussions. We need to get a just transition at the very top of the agenda.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

The Unite Environmental Taskforce will launch its charter in September, two months ahead of the UN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, which is this year hosted in Glasgow.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Oxygenate the debate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe hope is that our Taskforce will help steer the conversation \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that it will oxygenate the debate so to speak,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Jim said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe launch of our charter, which lays out Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s principles in our approach to tackling climate change, will also be accompanied by the official launch of our education programme. This programme is not just for our reps but for members as well.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

If, as the saying goes, knowledge is power, then Unite members have good reason to avail themselves of the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new education programme on climate change. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because working people face an inherent power imbalance in the fight against climate change, and the more they know, the more they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re equipped to challenge these inequalities.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bClimate change is above all a class issue, because as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen time and again \u00e2\u20ac\u201c take austerity for example \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it is always working people and poorer people who are forced to shoulder the higher burden,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Jim noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAs a percentage they will be expected to pay a higher price in the transition to a low-carbon economy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

Indeed, eventually replacing the entire heating system in a home so that it will meet the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s climate change obligations could cost up to \u00c2\u014118,000 per home.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is a hell of an expenditure for someone who might be on the minimum wage,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Jim pointed out. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more, poorer people simply have fewer opportunities and options in terms of mobility. They can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t as easily escape, for example, flooding, which has increasingly become a problem in this country. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re already seeing this in the global South, where there has been an explosion in the number of climate refugees having no other option but to flee their homes because of drought and other extreme weather events.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

As worrying as the future may sound, if working people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voices lead the conversation, then there are just as many opportunities in the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable economy as there are challenges. Unite is committed to ensuring all of its members are prepared for the big changes facing them, both in and out of work, as the climate emergency becomes ever more urgent.<\/p>\n

WATCH <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unite Education\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s climate change video<\/a><\/p>\n

FIND OUT MORE<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Thinking about becoming an environmental rep? Wherever you live, more details on Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s environmental taskforce can be found here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

GET INVOLVED<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re interested in the environment and climate change why not attend Unite Education\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Environment Conference?<\/strong> An online discussion called Climate crisis \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a workers-led future.<\/p>\n

The event will take place on September 16 from 9.30 am to 12 noon. To take part register here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you \u00c2\u00a0simply want to find out more about the Taskforce and the courses on offer, contact your regional education organiser<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Stayed tuned to UNITElive for more on climate change<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

By Hajera Blagg<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As extreme weather events increase with ferocious force; as air pollution claims exponentially more lives; and as crop yields wither in once-abundant regions around the world, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a growing consensus that the climate emergency is no longer just an abstract conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1214],"tags":[588,34,351],"wps_subtitle":"Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s education team have set up an \u00e2\u20ac\u0098environmental taskforce\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 ahead of this year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s COP26. UNITElive investigates","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29865"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29865"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29870,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29865\/revisions\/29870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}