CUPE Nova Scotia supports youth-led Global Week of Climate Action

HALIFAX, Sept. 23, 2019 /CNW/ - CUPE Nova Scotia supports the youth-led "Global Week of Climate Action" and encourages union members, families and friends to participate in actions that will be taking place in communities across the country, in collaboration with youth, environmental and other groups. 

"CUPE will be there alongside youth leaders, demanding immediate action from our political leaders," says CUPE Nova Scotia President Nan McFadgen.

"We strike for stronger climate action which we are not seeing from our current governments. We strike to raise awareness about the climate crisis. We are fighting for our futures and future generations. We are in the midst of a climate crisis. Extreme weather events are occurring more often and becoming more extreme. It will only get worse, and we need to act on it now before it's too late," says McFadgen.  

What we want

"Municipally, we want to move to a green transit system, and we want all single-use plastics banned by 2020. This includes plastic packaging in stores," says McFadgen.

"Provincially, we want to see more climate action in schools. Currently, we learn about how devastating it would be if a species were to become extinct, but we don't learn that it is happening right now. More than a million species are facing extinction that will lead to the extinction of humans. We want to see the provincial government switching to renewable energy now, in order to have a just transition completed by 2030. Also, we want the provincial government to stop Alton gas."

"Federally, we want the government to cut carbon emissions 100% by 2030. If we start now, that is attainable. We want the Canadian government adding more financial aid to homeowners and businesses in order to help them switch to renewable energy. Also, within all our goals we want to see our governments respecting Indigenous rights and making a just transition for workers as we make this move to a sustainable green economy. A just transition means we need to start now, before we run out of time," concludes McFadgen. "There is no Planet B."

The "Global Week of Action" marks a crucial moment, both in terms of public attention and of policy decisions. Unions know that the only way to achieve a successful and lasting global transition to environmental sustainability is to build a broad consensus and ensure that working people are part of the solution. Unions have been reaching out to policymakers with "just transition" proposals.

Check https://globalclimatestrike.net - for local events being organized across Canada.

Read the letter signed by the student leaders of "Fridays for Future" and visit the website https://www.fridaysforfuture.org. 

SOURCE Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)