Following an extensive motion on the climate emergency passed at this year’s national delegate conference, UNISON has now joined the campaign for a new international treaty to speed up the move away from fossil fuels.
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty would also ensure no further expansion of oil and gas sites and guarantee the costs of the transition to renewable energy don’t fall on those least able to pay.
The campaign behind the treaty says that, to keep global warming below the 1.5 degrees celcius agreed nine years ago in Paris, a new international accord is a must.
UNISON is only the second union in the world to join the campaign and will now urge the government to do the same.
General secretary Christina McAnea said: “Urgent action is needed to combat the damage caused by climate change. Both in the UK and around the world, people’s health is suffering because of pollution from fossil fuels.
“There must be a fast, fair transition away from oil and gas, funded by government, to turn the UK into a clean, renewable energy superpower, and restore its international climate change leadership reputation.”
