CWUYouth at Annual Conference: Climate Solidarity Campaign Fringe Report

The Climate Solidarity fringe meeting took place Tues 25 May . Guest speakers were SDGS Tony Kearns and Barbara Byrd, Secretary Treasurer of Oregon AFL-CIO.

CWU Climate Solidarity project worker Maeve Kennedy gave a brief outline of the project, which is a partnership between CWU, PCS, NUT, UCU and a charity called COIN- Climate Outreach Information Network. Maeve explained the project aims to set up a large number of 'action groups' comprised of union members and activists who will undertake some form of positive environmental action, with a view to establishing long-term, pro-environmental behaviours .

Tony Kearns warned that a continued commitment to a neo-liberal economic model with 3% annual economic growth could have catastrophic environmental consequences. Tony argued there was an urgent need for 5 million eco-friendly homes, a fully integrated transport system and investment in renewable energy supply. The recent talks at Copenhagen had been billed by some as 'last chance saloon' but Tony argued ''putting our heads in our hands'' over the lack of progress made at Copenhagen was counter-productive and it is imperative we keep fighting.

Barbara Byrd stated the Labour movement in the US had been late coming round to the idea they should be involved in environmental issues but argued unions should be actively seeking to influence employers and politicians on environmental issues. 'If we're not at the table, we'll wind up on the menu'', Barbara said. Barbara went on to outline some of the initiatives underway in Oregon, including a pilot to retro-fit 500 homes and the work of the Apollo Alliance and expressed her hope that under the Obama administration, the US would begin to take a leading role in the fight against climate change.