In December 2018 transform! europe will take part at the COP24 in Katowice, Poland. This international conference is of utmost importance as COP24 will deliver the implementation guidelines for the countries on how they should meet the goals of the Paris Agreement from 2015. We need to keep global temperature rise below 1,5 degrees.
Why transform! europe will take part in the COP 24: We must change our societies fundamentally. We want change, we support a fundamentally different economy. But we want a society where the majority of the people decide about the economy. Therefore we need a fundamental system change. This change can only be done with a society which is workers and citizens centred, and not profit-centred. The energy system is of crucial importance in this regard. We therefore want to discuss with allies how we can achieve an economy which focuses on human needs, not profit, an economy which is based on the democratic control of the production of the whole energy system.
We recommend the following paper from Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED): When “Green” Doesn’t “Grow”: Facing Up to the Failures of Profit-Driven Climate Policy
For further Information see: Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED), TUED at COP 24
We are co-organizers together with Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung-New York Office, the UK’s Public and Commercial Services Union, Friends of the Earth Europe, and Transnational Institute (TNI).
Programme
Key Events co-organized by transform! europe
Thursday, December 6, 13:00-17:00 (with lunch at 13:00)
TUED Roundtable: Analysis, Allies and Action
Venue: Hotel Focus Katowice Chorzów, Armii Krajowej 15, 41-506 Chorzów, Poland
Program highlights
- Energy and emissions trends, the IPCC’s Special Report, and the Need for a Transformative Transition
- Discussion of TUED paper, When “Green” Doesn’t “Grow”: Facing Up to the Failure of Profit-Driven Climate Policy
- COP 24: Assessment of trade union interventions
- Regional and national reports from TUED unions
- Perspectives from key allies: TNI, FOEE, transform europe!
Please register here.
Friday, December 7, 13:30-16:00
Energy Democracy: Reclaiming Energy to Social Ownership and Full Democratic Control
Venue: Hotel Focus Katowice Chorzów, Armii Krajowej 15, 41-506 Chorzów, Poland
A roundtable of unions and allies advocating for “energy democracy.” The organizers believe social movements, unions, environmental justice and progressive policy groups need to come together in support of a new pro-public “reclaiming” of energy and climate policy, one that can establish the need for radical transformation; put decarbonization back on track, advance energy conservation, address energy poverty and inequality, and ensure a just transition for workers and communities.
We invite others who share our rejection of investor- and market-focused approaches to join us for a discussion on what energy democracy might mean in practice—for people, communities, countries, and continents.
Please register here.
Sunday, December 9, 19:30-21:30
Climate Change and the Energy Transition: Alternatives to Market Failures, and the Role of Public Ownership
Special guest: Rebecca Long-Bailey, UK Labour Party Shadow Secretary for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Venue: Hotel Focus Katowice Chorzów, Armii Krajowej 15, 41-506 Chorzów, Poland
Join us for a discussion on the UK Labour Party’s climate and industrial policy. The Party is currently committed to bringing transmission and distribution networks back into public ownership, and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The Party is also committed to ensuring 60% of the UK’s energy comes from low carbon and renewable sources within 12 years of coming to power, and to working with energy unions and workers to deliver a ‘green jobs revolution’ at the heart of Labour’s industrial strategy.
In September 2017, the TUC Congress voted unanimously to support Labour’s public ownership commitment.
Addressing this year’s Labour Party annual conference in Liverpool, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour Party Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said, “This is not the time for piecemeal measures. We do not have to settle for whatever the market can deliver, and sleep walk into catastrophe. We need a plan of action.” (Click here for the full speech.)
In late June, 2018, Long-Bailey addressed a TUED meeting near Sheffield, where unions debated how the energy system should be taken back into public ownership.
The UK trade union and Labour Party debates have implications for unions and their allies in Europe and beyond.
To register, please click here.
Monday, December 10, 09:30-11:30
Energy Democracy “Next Steps” Working Meeting
Venue: Hotel Focus Katowice Chorzów, Armii Krajowej 15, 41-506 Chorzów, Poland
Energy Democracy allies will focus on how we can organize around a clear pro-public energy and climate agenda for Europe and internationally.
To register, please click here.