Globe, Struggles, Trade Unions, United Kingdom, Workers

Workers and the fight against the climate emergency

Fridays for Future, inspired by Greta Thunberg, has been the first real action to tackle global warming. But yet, governments around the world haven’t taken the issue seriously and therefore, on the 1st of May an event will take place in London on the 1st of May. 

 

Nathan Raia

 

The climate crisis is one of the biggest challenges that humanity has ever faced, and yet too little has been done about it. Planet earth, since 1970, has experienced the loss of 60% of animal species, which is the 6th mass extinction.

The IPCC report said that global warming must be kept within 1.5C in the next 12 years. After that point, there no action will make any difference, as the effects of global warming will be irreversible.

The data tells us that the climate emergency is real, but still, too many people don’t take it seriously. A study in Geophysical Research Letters has revealed that the signs of climate change can be harder to notice in certain countries than in others. This depends on their latitude: countries such as the UK which is located in a mid-latitude and consequently has a wide swing in temperature.

It is very easy in the UK to compare a spell of hot weather to a similar one way back in the past, and this factor makes it harder to create awareness among the population. “Climate change impacts in some countries are being hidden by their own changeable weather,” writes Ed Hawkins, a researcher from the University of Reading.

But, when it comes to rainfall, the data shows that large parts of the UK have experienced exceptional deluges, which are not found in recent  historical records.

To bring these issues to public awareness, the event “May Day 2020: Workers Unite for Climate!” will take place in London and it will be hosted by Earth Strike UK and 14 other local Earth Strike groups. As the organisers have said:

“To face the environmental destruction caused by capitalism and attacks on workers rights Earth Strike is calling for the international Labour and environmental movements to unite on 1st May”.

Earth Strike UK is working with several other groups to organise international action and strikes. They demand governments take immediate action to prevent the destruction of the planet and they hold governments and corporations accountable for their criminal inaction in facing the issue.

As the 1st of May is the International Workers Day, the organisers are calling for environmental groups, unions, social justice and community groups to join the mobilisation or help set up a May Day planning committee.

Date and place: Friday, 1st of May 2020, from 11 am. until 2 pm. London, United Kingdom. For further information, visit the Facebook event page.

(Photos: Pixabay)

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