Monthly Archives: January 2023

Climate Change Heroes Of 2022: António Guterres, Just Stop Oil, Greta Thunberg And Climate Scientists

Spread the love
Climate Change Heroes Of 2022: António Guterres, Just Stop Oil, Greta Thunberg And Climate Scientists – OpEd

An interesting long article reviews and discusses climate activism 2022 and looks forward to 2023.

…

On New Year’s Day, Extinction Rebellion caused a stir by tweeting, “WE QUIT! Our New Year’s Resolution is to halt our tactics of public disruption. Instead, we call on everyone to help us disrupt our corrupt government.”

“Choose Your Future & join us”, they added, providing a date and a location: 21 April, Parliament. The aim — the idea of the velvet revolution — is to get 100,000 people to commit to turning at Parliament on April 21, and also to commit to not going home again at the end of the day.

Please give this date some serious thought and ask yourself, if you already find yourself making excuses not to turn up, why it’s not worth doing. The presence of 100,000 people could genuinely be a tipping point — a gathering too large for the government to suppress via the vile anti-protest legislation passed by the former home secretary Priti Patel, and which the current home secretary, Suella Braverman, wants to expand, which criminalises protest, and equates disruption to save the planet with terrorism.

…

Continue ReadingClimate Change Heroes Of 2022: António Guterres, Just Stop Oil, Greta Thunberg And Climate Scientists

Environmental Audit Committee recommends ‘national mobilisation’ to reach net zero

Spread the love

https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2023/01/mps-recommend-national-mobilisation-to-reach-net-zero/

In a recent report, a cross-party committee of MPs has asked for a “national mobilisation” that would improve home insulation and accelerate the transition towards net-zero.

The document has also called on ministers to set ambitious targets for rolling-out onshore wind and tidal energy, as well as recommending the government should set an end date for domestic oil and gas licensing.

“To reduce the UK’s demand on fossil fuels, we must stop consuming more than we need,” said Philip Dunne MP, the committee chairman. “We must fix our leaky housing stock, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and wastes our constituents’ hard-earned cash: we must make homes warmer and retain heat for longer.”

…

https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2023/01/mps-recommend-national-mobilisation-to-reach-net-zero/

Continue ReadingEnvironmental Audit Committee recommends ‘national mobilisation’ to reach net zero

Friends of the Earth takes legal action against government over new coalmine in Cumbria

Spread the love

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/01/friends-of-the-earth-takes-legal-action-against-government-over-new-coalmine-in-cumbria/

Environmental campaign group, Friends of the Earth, is taking legal action against the UK government following its recent decision to grant planning permission for a new coal mine in Cumbria.

The claim will be filed later this month and will focus on the harmful impacts to the environment from the coalmine. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel.

The other main opponent of the mine, South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC), is also considering legal action and sent a letter to the Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove, in December seeking more information and setting out some of the errors in law in his decision. 

Niall Toru, lawyer at Friends of the Earth, said: “By giving the go-ahead to this polluting and totally unnecessary coal mine the government has not only made the wrong decision for our economy and the climate, we believe it has also acted unlawfully.

…

Continue ReadingFriends of the Earth takes legal action against government over new coalmine in Cumbria

Sunak ‘hasn’t a clue’ on climate scientist claims

Spread the love

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/labour-yougov-nhs-university-college-london-mps-b2256689.html

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak doesn’t understand climate breakdown and should revoke all new oil and gas exploration licences, a climate expert has said.

Professor Bill McGuire of University College London said he was not surprised that Mr Sunak did not mention climate in his New Year’s speech on Wednesday.

According to a YouGov poll, the environment ranks fourth in the public’s list of most important issues facing the country.

But it was left out of Mr Sunak’s five-point pledge to halve inflation, grow the economy, curb illegal Channel crossings and bring down the national debt and NHS waiting times.

…

A PM who issues more than a hundred new oil and gas exploration licences and gives the go-ahead for a new coalmine clearly hasn’t a clue or simply doesn’t care, or perhaps both

Professor Bill McGuire

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/labour-yougov-nhs-university-college-london-mps-b2256689.html

Continue ReadingSunak ‘hasn’t a clue’ on climate scientist claims

Aslef set to reject same 8% pay offer rejected by RMT

Spread the love

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/aslef-set-to-reject-same-8-pay-offer-rejected-by-rmt

TORY ministers and rail industry bosses will be “incredibly disappointed” if they think the sector’s workforce will accept more real-terms pay cuts, train drivers’ union Aslef said today.

The warning came after reports in the Sun newspaper suggested that the union, which is holding another 24-hour strike across 15 train operating companies on Thursday, will soon be offered an 8 per cent deal, spread over two years.

The offer, amounting to 4 per cent in both 2023 and 2024, has already been rejected by fellow transport union RMT, which is launching its second 48-hour walkout this week at Network Rail and several train operators tomorrow.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan told the Morning Star that if Tory Transport Secretary Mark Harper thinks, after “no pay rises since 2019, a further below-inflation deal will be backed by my members, he’ll be incredibly disappointed.

…

Continue ReadingAslef set to reject same 8% pay offer rejected by RMT