Dear John,
Did you know that the Stop Climate Chaos coalition now has over thirty member organisations? When I think about it, the depth and breadth of our member organisations - and the diverse issues they engage on - is very inspiring! Even more exciting is the work that these organisations, groups and grassroots bodies do. With that in mind, I’m writing to share some news from a selection of our member organisations. From upcoming events, to podcasts and recent publications, you’re bound to find some items of interest from the selection below. So why not make a cup of tea and dip into the world - and work - of our fantastic Stop Climate Chaos member organisations!
News...and a podcast from Cultivate
Cultivate, the Sustainable Ireland Coop based in Cloughjordan Ecovillage is starting a conversation in the context of global vulnerabilities and challenges, such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and risks to supply chains and jobs. As part of this they have produced a framing paper “Imagining a cooperative, community-led approach to regional resilience” that you might like to dip into here. Fancy listening to something instead of reading? Then check out this podcast which reflects on the paper with some of its contributors.
The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice - looks at a Green New Deal for Ireland
There’s been much talk about the Green New Deal in other countries - but what might it look like for Ireland? In its most recent publication of 'Working Notes', the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice discussed what a Green New Deal could look like in Ireland. "Do We Really Feel Fine? An Irish Case for a Green New Deal" identifies the interconnections between housing, transport, education, rural development and universal basic services and protections. It presents a roadmap to a reorganisation of society and the economy which does not separate our care for the environment with care for our neighbour.
Concern is campaigning for 1Planet4all
Concern is involved in a campaign called 1Planet4all. This is an EU wide campaign to show young people aged 15-35 that there is a clear inter-dependency between the actions and policies of rich countries and the impact of climate change in poorer countries. It aims to ensure critical understanding of climate change as a global threat to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals - and to inspire young people to take action in their communities in a safe, inclusive and climate smart way. You can read more about this campaign here.
Two wheeled news from Cyclist.ie
Cyclist.ie kicked off 2021 by encouraging individuals and families to take to their bikes, enjoy their surroundings and show support for the Government’s plans to allocate increased funding for cycling. Thanks to Ruth from “Cycle Sense” in Skibbereen for the lovely picture included below. You can see further lovely photos at a similar An Taisce event, New Year Two Wheels..jpg)
Cyclist.ie’s ambition is for every county in Ireland to have its own local cycling advocacy group and for all of these to be incorporated into their all-island network. They have gone from 7 to 25 member groups in just over a decade and the future looks bright. You can learn more about their plans to expand further here. You might also like to watch this video where 10 volunteers share 10 great ideas for how to progress cycling in 2021. Speakers had 3 minutes each to share their passion for different topics.
Two Hard Hitting Reports from Oxfam Ireland
Last autumn Oxfam published a report, “Confronting Carbon Inequality”, which showed that the richest one percent of the world’s population are responsible for more than double the carbon pollution of the poorest half of humanity. It also found that the top 10% of the Irish population emit nearly as much consumption emissions as the bottom 50%. The report demonstrated how climate change and global inequality are interlinked and must be addressed together. You can read more about the report and download a copy of it here.
A second Oxfam report, “Climate Finance Shadow Report” showed that the true value of climate finance provided by high income countries to low income countries is just a third of what is reported officially. In 2009, high income countries committed to mobilise $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020 to support low income countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change and reduce their emissions. Oxfam’s report estimated that the true value of support for climate action may be as little as $19-22.5 billion per year once loan repayments, interest and other forms of over-reporting are stripped out. You can read more about this report here.
Learning Hub is back in action at Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth launched a Learning Hub in Autumn 2020 - which you can read more about here. The Learning Hub’s first event explored issues unpinning the concept of Climate Justice and can be watched back here.
After a brief lull, the Learning Hub is back in action - its next event is on Monday 15th February at 18.30. “Framing Climate Justice” will be a practical workshop to learn how to communicate about climate justice. In particular, it will look at the issue of framing - and explore the most ethical and effective ways to speak, write or post about climate justice issues during our campaigning, activism and everyday activities.
The workshop will feature special guests and communications experts from the ground breaking framingclimatejustice.org project. You can register for the workshop here. Further Learning Hub events will take place throughout Spring 2021 - to hear about these sign up to the Friends of the Earth mailing list or keep an eye on the foe.ie website or social media pages.
That's it for now! I hope you enjoyed getting to know some of our member organisations a little bit more.
In hope,
Áine
Mobilization Coordinator
Stop Climate Chaos
