The National Climate Jobs Caravan will be coming to Lancaster City Centre on 24th May.
It is part of a tour of Britain that is taking in 25 towns and cities across the country to promote zero carbon climate jobs. The ambitious tour, organized by the trade union arm of the Campaign against Climate Change starts in London and Edinburgh on 12th May.
The Lancaster leg is supported by a number of groups in the district including trade unions, Lancaster District Council’s Sustainability Partnership, Global Link and Lancaster and Morecambe College.
Throughout the tour there will be meetings, exhibitions and activities.
The tour has the support of a number of trade unions plus national bodies such as the Quakers and the Green Party.
The itinerary in Lancaster is:
– On the 22nd and 23rd May at 7.30pm the Dukes Gallery will be showing the Million Green Jobs film made for the tour, plus shorts. Shaun Dey, the filmmaker will be leading a discussion after the showing on Wednesday.
– On 24th May the Climate Caravan with exhibitions and stalls promoting Green Jobs will be in Lancaster City Centre between 10.30am and 4.30pm.
Also on the 24th a Green Job Fair will be taking place between 12-4pm at the Hexagon Theatre at Lancaster and Morecambe College. (If you are a business leading the way in the move to Zero Carbon Jobs and would like to take part then please contact Serena at Global Link on 01524 840591)
On the evening of the 24th, there will be a public forum at The Storey CIC from 7.30pm. The main speaker will be Martin Empson from the national Campaign Against Climate Change and contributions from the floor will be welcome. Admission is free to all events.
The message of the tour is simple: the creation of climate jobs can help solve both the economic and climate crisis. It is promoting the idea of investment in areas like public transport, home insulation, building, design and renewable energy such as the eco-housing development and hydro project in Halton. One million climate jobs could be created and are vital to transforming our infrastructure and cutting CO2 emissions by 80%.
The tour will be calling for the government to set up a National Climate Service (NCS) to invest in climate jobs. It will also provide an opportunity for the council to demonstrate its commitment to its own corporate strategy which states that “Environmental Sustainability is treated as a theme that underpins all Corporate Priorities to ensure that the Council minimises its use of energy, promotes sustainable energy generation, uses local businesses and resources where possible, has high environmental standards and promotes the use of green jobs in the district.”
Suzanne Jeffery, Chair of the Campaign against Climate Change Trade Union Group, said, “Investing in climate jobs is a win-win situation. It helps solve both the economic and environmental crises.
“With 2.5 million people unemployed and climate change threatening the future of our planet, we are dismayed that the government is refusing to seriously invest in climate jobs.”
Serena Mansfield from Global Link who is helping to organize the Green Jobs Fair said ‘We need a change of thinking and imagination in the way we work. These events will both celebrate what is already happening and provide a strong example of what needs to be done.”