We are here republishing the agenda and motions prepared by the COP26 Coalition Co-ordinating group of the Bristol branch of Unison the union for the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow, as well as a briefing paper prepared for trade unions on the COP26 conference. The briefing paper will be available for download as a pdf below.

Agenda

  1. Welcome
  2. Updates from the Branch Executive
  3. Motion: The Climate Crisis
  4. Annual General Meeting update
  5. Any other urgent business (please notify the Branch Secretary in advance of the meeting)
  6. Date of Next Meeting – 26 January 2022

In the Updates from the Branch Executive, we will cover hybrid working, health and safety, flexitime etc.

The motion (below) will be debated in the following order:  The proposer will have up to five minutes to present the motion. The chair will then ask for any speaker against the motion,  and then any speaker for the motion and so on to keep a balanced debate.  Speakers for and against will have two minutes to speak. If no speaker comes forward, the chair will move to a vote to accept the motion.

The Climate Crisis

Proposer: Jane Parsons (Constituency 2)
Seconder: Stephen Hunt (Constituency 6)

This branch notes:
1.         Human-caused climate breakdown is leading to and exacerbating extreme weather events across the globe: heat waves, wildfires, floods and hurricanes, and loss of biodiversity.

2.         The IPCC 2018 Special Report has warned of the dire consequences of exceeding 1.5ºC global average warming and that a societal transformation would be needed to avoid this, including halving global carbon emissions by 2030; nevertheless, global emissions have continued to rise.

3.         The climate crisis is a social justice issue, with those who have done least to cause the crisis and who are least able to address it facing the worst impacts. We need to mobilise for a just transition which protects and improves workers’ livelihoods, creates a more inclusive society and stops greenhouse gas emissions.

4.         Wealthy, industrialised countries have a responsibility to take on their fair share of emissions reductions; that the UK’s target of net zero by 2050 is insufficient to avoid global temperatures rising above 1.5ºC, and that the UK is failing to implement policies to meet even this target.

5.         We also face a global and UK crisis of unemployment; that tackling the Covid-19 pandemic represents an ideal opportunity to invest in climate jobs, in a just transition and a fairer society; and that the global response to this opportunity has been wholly inadequate.

6.         The UN COP26 negotiations in Glasgow in November 2021 are crucial for the success of global plans to limit climate change; yet the UK government continues to back false solutions like carbon markets and block the transformational changes which are necessary.

7.         UK civil society needs to exert maximum pressure on the British government for a green recovery and just transition, and to show leadership as COP26 host; that trade unions can play a key role in the COP26 coalition in which UK civil society has been organising as part of the wider global climate justice movement.

This branch believes:

  1. The issue of climate change is affecting and will continue to affect our members’ lives; we need strong policies to support our members with these issues.
  2. There needs to be the most up-to-date, accurate information for people within unions and workplaces to act upon.
  3. There needs to be discussion about how we can bring movements and groups together to have the optimum effect on impacting climate change.

This branch resolves:

  1. To help campaign alongside allies in civil society for massive public investment in a green recovery and worker-led just transition that tackles the climate and ecological emergency, creates climate jobs and is underpinned by a fair deal for workers both here and in supply chains in the Global South.
  2. To add our name to the list of supporting organisations for the “We Make Tomorrow” trade union and workers mobilisation for COP26 by signing up here: https://www.wemaketomorrow.org/get-involved
  3. To mobilise our members by
    1. Sharing the mobilisation website and action map with them: https://www.wemaketomorrow.org/
    2. Helping to organise the trade union and workers bloc on our nearest demonstration.
  4. To encourage our activists to mobilise non-union members in our workplaces and communities as a means to engage them in both the climate justice movement and the trade union movement, using the resources found here: https://www.wemaketomorrow.org/get-involved

To make a donation of £100 to the Bristol COP26 Coalition Hub.

Download the briefing paper as a pdf here: https://www.peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/COP-26-Briefing-Paper.pdf

COP-26-Briefing-Paper