Dan Edwards watched Fort McMurray, Alberta, turn into the insolvency capital of Canada from a brown brick warehouse on King Street, home to the Wood Buffalo Food Bank.
As is well known, the state of the forest industry and the forests themselves in British Columbia has deteriorated in the last 20 years, a culmination of longstanding bad policies and practices. Big corporations have shut down dozens of mills devastating workers and communities across the province. And there are many other problems.
The forests are unhealthy, plagued by insect infestations, decimation of old growth trees, poor planting practices, environmental deregulation, and so on.
As enthusiasm for a Green New Deal for Canada grows, what type of planning will bring about a just transition to a low-carbon society?
Specifically, we turn to two questions.
First, how can plans for a just transition, from their very beginning, respect the principle of free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples?
On September 27, workers across the world went out on strike in the largest global climate strike in history, walking out of their classrooms and workplaces to protest government inaction on climate change. This comes following the September 20 ‘School Strike for Climate’, which saw millions of young people and students in over 150 countries walk-out three days before the U.N.’s Climate Summit.
On 20 September [through to September 27], at the request of the young people who have been staging school strikes around the world, we’re walking out of our workplaces and homes to spend the day demanding action on the climate crisis, the greatest existential threat that all of us face. It’s a one-day climate strike, if you will – and it will not be the last. This is going to be the beginning of a week of action all over the world. And we hope to make it a turning point in history.
A week of student-led global strike actions to address the climate change crisis, under the banner FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike, was kicked off this past Friday with actions across the world. This Friday September 27 students, First Nations, workers and allies will be mobilizing across Canada in the tens of thousands.
Our federal election should let us choose a climate justice plan to remedy global climate disruption and growing economic inequality. But, at best, the major parties offer only extremely partial solutions.
Following are specific statements and actions from unions around the world in support of the calls for a “Global Climate Strike” in September 2019. For background, please see TUED Bulletin 88 and this follow-up mailing. If you are aware of union statements and / or actions that are not listed here, please send details to johntreat.iplce@gmail.com.
