There will be a general election next year and campaigning for it will start before too long. It is therefore time for those of us concerned about the climate emergency to think about how we can influence the next government to take it more seriously. Greenpeace thinks they know how to do that. Their answer is to launch a campaign this Monday 18th September at 6:30-7:45 pm with guest speaker George Monbiot.called ‘Operation Climate Vote’. Use this link to register for the virtual launch.
What is Operation Climate Vote?
Greenpeace is saying “we know climate solutions exist, and we know transformational climate action is possible. It brings lower bills and millions of new green jobs, so it will be popular too. We are going to use the election to tell the public what’s possible and force the next government to take climate action seriously. We have a plan and we want you to pitch in. From the streets to social media, over the phone and on the doorstep we are going to have 1-1 conversations with our friends, neighbours, colleagues and strangers about the climate. Street by street town to town we’ll recruit one million climate voters and build a climate majority that is rooted in Local communitiesYou are not alone in caring about the climate and we are going to show people that they are not alone either. For our friends, family and future, join Operation Climate Vote.”
I have discussed this campaign with a number of CAM members and we think it is a great campaign and want to do what we can for it. I have taken part in personal and virtual training to be canvass organiser and I am looking for volunteers to canvass locally. You will be gIven virtual training and provided with clipboards, posters and ‘Sorry we missed you’ flyers. You will question people with regard to how important the climate situation will be to them when they vote. If they score 7 or more on a scale 1-10 they are considered a climate voter. In my training in Manchester recently 30% of people we questioned were by this measure, a climate voter. For those that give their email addresses, an email will be sent with their candidates answers to a series of questions about the climate situation and what they would like to do about it.
There are four weekends of action before Christmas and we have decided to canvas on Saturdays meeting at 10.00 at Marple Methodist Church for a half hour introduction followed by two hours canvassing and half hour debrief. You will be provided with an App or paper script guide.
If you feel you could help 10.00-13.00hrs on all or any of the following Saturdays:
September 30th, October 28th, November 18th, December 2nd,
please email me at [email protected] We can do this!
What other organisations say about the upcoming general election
The Wildlife Trusts
Craig Bennet, Chief Executive of, the Wildlife Trust says “We have one more parliament before 2030 – it’s the most important general election of my lifetime” They add:
“ As the parties and their candidates gear up for the election, they will begin knocking on doors to chat to you to find out what matters to you and what they need to do to get your support. Your priorities will become their priorities. So be ready to grill them on where they stand on nature, wildlife and the environment.
Below are some of the key issues that we know Cheshire residents care about. Use these or your own. Either way, be ready with questions when candidates come seeking your vote.”
“As a candidate who wants to represent me in parliament, where do you stand on…”
❌ Not using pesticides and weed killers around towns, parks and green spaces
🌳 Funding and support to turn neglected places into wild community spaces
🌼Leaving patches of unmown grass in parks
🍎 Planting community orchards
🙋🏽♀️ More green internships and apprenticeships for young people
🥕 Creating community gardens/allotments
💧 Tackling sewage in rivers
🚜 Providing farmers with financial support for delivering ecosystem services
📝 Getting nature on the curriculum
🚄 HS2 Ltd meeting their commitment of no net loss to nature
🌱 Stopping peat extraction
These things are vital to supporting biodiversity and the fight against climate change, but they are also vital at a local and personal level. The solutions to these things create local jobs, better prospects for our kids and improve our mental and physical health.
Client Earth
In the run up to the general election Client Earth says we want to hear what matters most to you, by taking this survey so that we can urge all parties to adopt policies that we can all agree will lead to a healthier, greener future.
Let’s hope and try to make the next government provide a greener place for future generations.
Good News
- German parliament approves plan to replace fossil-fuel heating systems | Germany | The Guardian
- Breakthrough as scientists generate electricity from deadly bacteria
- Former rubbish dump in Essex becomes UK’s third largest solar farm | Energy industry | The Guardian
- Thousands protest after Dutch government awards fossil fuel subsidies | Euronews
- Global push for commitment to phase out fossil fuels gathers pace ahead of Cop28 UN hopes to galvanise summit talks by persuading world leaders to commit to stop burning coal, oil and gas, despite industry lobbying
- Orkney islands to trial electric ferries to cut carbon emissions | Scotland | The Guardian
- Heat pumps twice as efficient as fossil fuel systems in cold weather, study finds Doubts about whether heat pumps work well in subzero conditions shown to be unfounded, say researchers
- People who grow their own fruit and veg waste less food and eat more healthily, says research
- How cutting your food waste can help the climate – BBC Future
- Solar panel technology is set to be turbo-charged – but first, a few big roadblocks have to be cleared
- Experts call for global moratorium on efforts to geoengineer climate. Experts call for global moratorium on efforts to geoengineer climate.
- New York University will divest from fossil fuels in win for student activists. One of largest private universities in the US, with an endowment of over $5bn, takes steps to address the climate crisis after years of student protest.
Not so Good News?
- We just blew past 1.5 degrees. Game over on climate? Not yet July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded. And now we know something even more alarming. This week, the European Space Agency announced the July heat pushed the global average temperatures 1.5℃ above the pre-industrial average.
- 1.5°C: where the target came from – and why we’re losing sight of its importance
- Climate breakdown: even if we miss the 1.5°C target we must still fight to prevent every single increment of warming
- Summer 2023 was the hottest on record – yes, it’s climate change, but don’t call it ‘the new normal’
- Not convinced on the need for urgent climate action? Here’s what happens to our planet between 1.5°C and 2°C of global warming
- What El Niño means for the world’s perilous climate tipping points
- France will launch a €49 rail pass after the success of the ‘Deutschlandticket’ This would be in the good news section if the scheme was in the UK and not France!
- China makes developers pay compensation for their ecological impacts – here’s how this unique scheme works. You will have to read this article to see why I have not put this under Good News.
- Ethiopia hails new phase in disputed Blue Nile dam project Controversy over the hydroelectric dam has been rumbling on for more than a decade, and Egyptian politicians once discussed military action.
- Fast fashion – so how about some UK action? Environmental and social costs weigh heavily on the Global South, but ultimately we all pay. The European Union is taking steps to rein in a hugely destructive industry, one that is responsible for 20% of the world’s water use and 10% of greenhouse gases – the fashion sector. It is a sector where waste has trebled in the past 20 years.
- ‘Beginning of the end’ of fossil fuel era approaching, says IEA. Forecast downturn still ‘nowhere near steep enough’ to limit temperature rise to 1.5C, says watchdog.
- Climate change is set to make our holidays look very different – here’s how. The future of the traditional holiday getaway looks bleak.
- Fashion industry’s environmental impact is largely unknown – here’s why. Product-labelling tools have been criticised for making partial assessments of a brand’s impact.
- New fossil fuel projects ‘very unwise economic risk’ says global energy chief. Fatih Birol, head of International Energy Agency, says countries planning expansion are ‘misjudging market trends’
Bad News
- UK’s net zero ambitions at risk after ‘disastrous’ offshore wind auction Industry figures and the TUC warn of missed carbon reduction targets and lost jobs unless government boosts green investment
- Rishi Sunak avoiding UN summit after being warned about potential rejection Exclusive: PM risked embarrassment of downgraded status if UN deemed UK’s climate policies lacking ambition
- US sets new record for billion-dollar climate disasters in single year Country has experienced 23 extreme weather events costing $1bn or more already this year, passing previous mark of 22 in 2020
- World Bank spent billions of dollars backing fossil fuels in 2022, study finds Campaigners estimate about $3.7bn in trade finance was supplied to oil and gas projects despite bank’s green pledges
- Devastatingly low Antarctic sea ice may be the ‘new abnormal’, study warns
- Faster disaster: climate change fuels ‘flash droughts’, intense downpours and storms
- Earth ‘well outside safe operating space for humanity’, scientists find | Climate crisis | The Guardian
- Turf war: fake grass is growing in popularity in Australia, despite concerns about its impact. Environmental groups say the allure of evergreen synthetic turf contrasts to its microplastic pollution levels and heat absorption.
Upcoming Events
Join Operation Climate Vote near you Join the launch Zoom call with guest speaker George Monbiot on 18 September, 6. 30-7.45pm.
Other Media News
- Emissions free cooling. Can we do it? 11 Minute video from ‘Just have a Think’
- Sunak Stops Stopping Oil 4 minute video from Jonathan Pie