‘Make the climate wreckers explain actions to children’ Union proposes radical plan to tackle global warming
By Rob Edwards
Environment Editor EVERY PUBLIC sector organisation should have to justify the impact on the climate of every decision it takes, under plans to be put forward by the trade union, Unison.
Councils, enterprise agencies, government bodies and the government itself would all be accountable for any development or plan which increases the pollution that is warming the globe.
Unison is proposing that chief executives responsible for climate-wrecking schemes should be hauled up before school children to explain their actions.
Unison, which represents 162,000 public service workers in Scotland, will this week make its submission to the consultation on the Scottish government's draft climate change bill. The union will propose a "general duty on public bodies to consider climate change in all decisions and report on progress annually". That would mean introducing legislation obliging public agencies to take account of the effect on global warming in every decision, in much the same way as they have to consider impacts on equal opportunities.
Unison will suggest that a selection of the annual reports produced by public bodies should be called in by a Scottish parliamentary committee for scrutiny at Holyrood. Locally, the union says, there should be "an annual schools gathering where students could question appropriate councillors and officials".
According to Unison's Scottish organiser, Dave Watson, facing direct questions from school children would be the more challenging. "If a public body is going to do something barmy that will damage the climate, it doesn't mean they can't do it. But it does mean it has to be flagged up," he says.
Unison's submission on the climate change bill will also call for public bodies to be required to negotiate a "workplace environmental agreement" with their recognised trade unions. This would aim to save energy, cut waste and reduce water use in offices.
"We envisage the bill giving powers to Scottish ministers to issue regulations and guidance to promote greener workplaces," says the draft submission.
Unison is a member of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, a coalition of more than 30 environment, development, faith and other groups. The coalition's campaign for tougher action to cut the pollution that is disrupting the climate is being backed by the Sunday Herald.
The union's call for a legal duty on public bodies to consider climate change is welcomed by the chairman of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, Mike Robinson. "I sincerely hope that the government will take note of this demand," he says.
The Scottish government pointed out it was already working with the pubic sector. "The views expressed by Unison will be considered alongside other responses to the consultation," said a spokesman.
|
|
Posted by: Ben Palmer, Rural Scotland on 2:14am Sun 13 Apr 08
Unison need to think again if they believe that anything they do can alter the climate.
Also someone needs to tell them that global warming stopped 10 years ago and Scotland is enjoying its best skiing for years.
Perhaps they see more jobs for the boys as a new department would need to be set up to implement this crazy idea.
Unison need to think again if they believe that anything they do can alter the climate.
Also someone needs to tell them that global warming stopped 10 years ago and Scotland is enjoying its best skiing for years.
Perhaps they see more jobs for the boys as a new department would need to be set up to implement this crazy idea.
Posted by: coyote on 4:49am Sun 13 Apr 08
I run my own business and would love the opportunity to explain to school children why those who try to frighten them about their effect on climate have more to do with controlling them than helping them. I would love to explain why global warming alarmism is hugely exaggerated. Unfortunately, this platform never exists because alarmists, beginning with Al Gore, evade and avoid debate at all costs.
As a counter challenge, I would love for you to explain in return why our generation enjoyed the benefits of economic growth and near universal wealth (at least by historical standards) but our kids on the other hand must accept poverty due to a grand global fetish surrounding a trace atmospheric gas.
I run my own business and would love the opportunity to explain to school children why those who try to frighten them about their effect on climate have more to do with controlling them than helping them. I would love to explain why global warming alarmism is hugely exaggerated. Unfortunately, this platform never exists because alarmists, beginning with Al Gore, evade and avoid debate at all costs.
As a counter challenge, I would love for you to explain in return why our generation enjoyed the benefits of economic growth and near universal wealth (at least by historical standards) but our kids on the other hand must accept poverty due to a grand global fetish surrounding a trace atmospheric gas.
Posted by: steve4349, larbet on 7:43am Sun 13 Apr 08
the greenwash bams need to take the fight to china india and the usa,
the greenwash bams need to take the fight to china india and the usa,
Posted by: Westhighlander, West Highlands on 8:29am Sun 13 Apr 08
The lunatics have taken over the asylum. The great global warming scam - great skiing this year - seems to attract the weaker minded and most fearty among us. The frightening thing is that there are so many of them. If I was a UNISON member I'd be telling my union to get on with what it's supposed to be doing - getting me better terms and conditions - and leave the silly stuff alone.
I hope someone's making a list of all these ejits, so that when we go into the next global freeze up scam, which can't be far away now, we can see who joins up to that one. Watch this space!
The lunatics have taken over the asylum. The great global warming scam - great skiing this year - seems to attract the weaker minded and most fearty among us. The frightening thing is that there are so many of them. If I was a UNISON member I'd be telling my union to get on with what it's supposed to be doing - getting me better terms and conditions - and leave the silly stuff alone.
I hope someone's making a list of all these ejits, so that when we go into the next global freeze up scam, which can't be far away now, we can see who joins up to that one. Watch this space!
Posted by: Charles, Edinburgh on 10:01am Sun 13 Apr 08
"We envisage the bill giving powers to Scottish ministers to issue regulations and guidance to promote greener workplaces," says the draft submission."
These will be the same Scottish ministers that are encouraging economic expansion at any cost; the Ministers that have removed tolls from the bridges, thus removing one of the most effective tools they had to encourage commuters to consider public transport; and the same Ministers who have approved the M74 extension - again failing to recognise that the emissions from road traffic are increasing.
Now that is worrying.
"We envisage the bill giving powers to Scottish ministers to issue regulations and guidance to promote greener workplaces," says the draft submission."
These will be the same Scottish ministers that are encouraging economic expansion at any cost; the Ministers that have removed tolls from the bridges, thus removing one of the most effective tools they had to encourage commuters to consider public transport; and the same Ministers who have approved the M74 extension - again failing to recognise that the emissions from road traffic are increasing.
Now that is worrying.
Posted by: billalba, Fife on 10:44am Sun 13 Apr 08
Charles, I don't think paying 80p or £1 to cross the bridges would have made me go by train..if you need to cross the bridge you payed so not a very effective method of controlling commuters, maybe having a method that you pay if you enter the city would be more effective and if ministers didnt do all they could to encourage economic expansion you would probably be the first to comment of their lack of commitment to Scotland, as for the M74 it would be better to stop cars that are heavy polluters first?? just a thought.
Charles, I don't think paying 80p or £1 to cross the bridges would have made me go by train..if you need to cross the bridge you payed so not a very effective method of controlling commuters, maybe having a method that you pay if you enter the city would be more effective and if ministers didnt do all they could to encourage economic expansion you would probably be the first to comment of their lack of commitment to Scotland, as for the M74 it would be better to stop cars that are heavy polluters first?? just a thought.
Posted by: Charles, Edinburgh on 11:18am Sun 13 Apr 08
Billabla: You are correct; a £1 wouldn't stop the commuter - but £5 a day would (that's the cost of using the Severn Bridge). You should also be asking why jobs are not being created in Fife - why do people need to travel to Edinburgh? If you remove the need to travel, you are well on the way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the pollution that our kids are breathing in every day and even noise. You can create a healthy economy without millions of cars - most of us lived without them 20 years ago.
And as for your argument "stop cars that are heavy polluters first" - I assume you are jumping on the 4x4 media wagon that implies that a VW Golf driving between Edinburgh and Glasgow everyday is fine. That argument is overly simplistic and misrepresented. You need to consdier the impact of millions of vehicles – not one group of individuals.
Billabla: You are correct; a £1 wouldn't stop the commuter - but £5 a day would (that's the cost of using the Severn Bridge). You should also be asking why jobs are not being created in Fife - why do people need to travel to Edinburgh? If you remove the need to travel, you are well on the way to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the pollution that our kids are breathing in every day and even noise. You can create a healthy economy without millions of cars - most of us lived without them 20 years ago.
And as for your argument "stop cars that are heavy polluters first" - I assume you are jumping on the 4x4 media wagon that implies that a VW Golf driving between Edinburgh and Glasgow everyday is fine. That argument is overly simplistic and misrepresented. You need to consdier the impact of millions of vehicles – not one group of individuals.
Posted by: nursebill, dumfries on 3:49pm Sun 13 Apr 08
Rob,I do like to keep up with your articles on climate change and the environment,but wish you would temper them sometime with less overtly political pieces about people's real lives in the countryside and try more of a positive,good news type approach.You seem to becoming more one note drone as time goes on.Not that this was much of a news story anyway!
Rob,I do like to keep up with your articles on climate change and the environment,but wish you would temper them sometime with less overtly political pieces about people's real lives in the countryside and try more of a positive,good news type approach.You seem to becoming more one note drone as time goes on.Not that this was much of a news story anyway!
Posted by: dean, uk on 5:02pm Sun 13 Apr 08
Climate change is real - the climate has been changing for millenia - INFACT, it cycles approximately every 1500 years. The Vikings were able to colonise Greenland and grow crops, until the ice (and the Inuit) forced them off.
Whole villages were swallowed up in the Alps as the glaciers advanced in the 1800's; now those slopes are being re-exposed.
During the Roman Warming period ( 2000 years ago) Greenland was over 5 degrees hotter than today (HOWEVER, the ice cap remained - polar bears in the artic didn't die out and sea levels didn't inundated the planet!) The same occurred during the medieval period. All this (and more) can be found in scientific publications and on websites.
Past warmings in the last 2000 years in particular and further back in history prove the theory of 'man-made' global warming is in fact a lie!!
To learn the truth about Global warming vist; http://www.greatglob
alwarmingswindle.com
/
Climate change is real - the climate has been changing for millenia - INFACT, it cycles approximately every 1500 years. The Vikings were able to colonise Greenland and grow crops, until the ice (and the Inuit) forced them off.
Whole villages were swallowed up in the Alps as the glaciers advanced in the 1800's; now those slopes are being re-exposed.
During the Roman Warming period ( 2000 years ago) Greenland was over 5 degrees hotter than today (HOWEVER, the ice cap remained - polar bears in the artic didn't die out and sea levels didn't inundated the planet!) The same occurred during the medieval period. All this (and more) can be found in scientific publications and on websites.
Past warmings in the last 2000 years in particular and further back in history prove the theory of 'man-made' global warming is in fact a lie!!
To learn the truth about Global warming vist; http://www.greatglob
alwarmingswindle.com
/
Posted by: Red Etin on 6:20pm Sun 13 Apr 08
"explain actions to children’ "
What are yesterdays children doing now? Bombing, shooting, torturing....
No reason to think future children will do any better, is there? They'll just think up more horrific ways of killing other peoples children. Who's child invented napalm ffs?
"explain actions to children’ "
What are yesterdays children doing now? Bombing, shooting, torturing....
No reason to think future children will do any better, is there? They'll just think up more horrific ways of killing other peoples children. Who's child invented napalm ffs?
Posted by: GlobalWarminInsanity
.com, USA on 9:05pm Sun 13 Apr 08
What our children are REALLY going to be angry about is that we are going to spend all their money on magic beans.
We're making trillion dollar decisions based on faulty science. Example: Ethanol has been crammed down our throat because it's a "renewable resource." Never mind that it is hurting the poorest of the poor around the world by raising commodities prices. And never mind that producing ethanol uses at least as much fossil fuel as it saves.
Reject faulty science!
www.GlobalWarmingIns
anity.com
What our children are REALLY going to be angry about is that we are going to spend all their money on magic beans.
We're making trillion dollar decisions based on faulty science. Example: Ethanol has been crammed down our throat because it's a "renewable resource." Never mind that it is hurting the poorest of the poor around the world by raising commodities prices. And never mind that producing ethanol uses at least as much fossil fuel as it saves.
Reject faulty science!
www.GlobalWarmingIns
anity.com
Comment | Read Comments (11)
Print this story
Email to a friend
