Greener Jobs Alliance

Save ourselves from the climate crisis or prepare for war – it’s either, or…

Please note: the figures in these graphics refer to the budget of the EU as an institution. The budgets of individual member states are far higher.

By Paul Atkin

This graphic from Stop Rearm Europe deserves wide circulation in the climate, labour and anti war movements.

The militarist tunnel vision evident in the EU budget is also a risk in UK spending priorities – where the evident and immediate threat of climate breakdown is downgraded and played down, while the “whole society approach” that we need to combat it is instead cranked up to prepare for war; and resources sucked from one into the other.

We need clarity in all three movements – in responding to the acute crisis of fossil fuel prices caused by the war on Iran and the chronic impacts of heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and floods driven by the climate crisis, we should be campaigning on all of these three principles.

1. To stop the crisis we need to stop the war, tax war profits and transfer military spending
2. The transition to renewable energy and energy conservation is the solution.
3. Crisis measures must be social justice measures.

A draft motion for union and Party branches can be accessed here.

Please put it and lets shift this debate.

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Air pollution and other climate risks – time to ramp up the pressure

Photo by fabian jones on Unsplash

In July we witnessed a flurry of activity highlighting the need for action on air pollution. With a new Labour administration there is an opportunity to stop the political foot-dragging and get on with tackling the biggest environmental health risk facing the UK.

The recent heatwaves have only served to highlight the importance of this. The link between air pollution and extreme heat has never been clearer. Wildfires are the visible product of this. Firefighters are in the frontline, but other workers face increased exposures. That is why the Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN) call for a focus on occupational health is so important.

TUCAN attended a range of events in July where we made the case for greater recognition and the need for policy change.

UK 100 ‘Breathing Life’ Report – This conference launched a guide for strategic authorities and local authorities to support clean air delivery in England. TUCAN welcomes the report and supports the recommendations which include one of our demands – a new Clean Air Act with WHO-aligned statutory targets. It also calls for national government to introduce a National Indoor Air Quality strategy.  This is important but limits itself to housing, transport and planning policy. The focus is on homes. Workplaces are not directly included.  In fact, there is nothing in the guide that directly addresses occupational health.

Moving to cleaner buses will have a beneficial impact on bus drivers, but the additional exposures faced by workers are not directly covered in any policy proposals. Equally, reducing pollution in homes will help those working from home. What is needed is a lever which promotes action in both indoor and outdoor workplace settings. Local and regional authorities as employers can do this, and as advocates, they should also be calling on other employers to do the same.  The calls on national government should include amending regulations and guidance that reflect current research and standards, rather than relying on the totally outdated framework in current health and safety law.   Minister hails local leadership as research finds almost 14,000 lives saved by local clean air action | UK100

MACC Hub Conference – The Role of local authorities in climate adaptation. This conference brought together climate and sustainability officers to consider the implications of the Climate Change Committee’s ‘A Well-Adapted UK report. The need for a statutory duty on local authorities to address climate change was stressed. This is particularly important to introduce policy certainty, but it must also be accompanied by adequate funding if it is to have any meaningful impact. The priority risks in the report are extreme heat, flooding, and drought and wildfire risk. Air pollution intersects with all of these but is not referenced in the report which TUCAN sees as a weakness.    The Role of UK Local Authorities in Climate Adaptation (CAG consultants) – UK Climate Risk

CBI / CAF Report The Clean Air dividend of net-zero – This does focus on the occupational health implications and indicates that climate measures could generate an estimated £7.7 billion in productivity gains by 2050 through improved workforce health, reduced illness-related absences and longer working lives. The report touches on the social justice aspects of air pollution but still fails to call for employers to conduct air pollution audits and risk assessments. A duty to identify their own contribution to the problem and ensure control measures are introduced in consultation with the workforce would provide a much-needed focus.  Net zero measures will deliver cleaner air that could provide £7.7 billion boost to UK economy by 2050 – Clean Air Fund

Labour Climate and Environment Forum – Breathe Easy report. One opportunity to address our concerns on occupational health is to intensify the lobbying of the Labour Government.  The report highlights that air pollution is not only a publicly salient and cross-partisan issue that people want to see more done to address, but that action carries political benefits for Labour – particularly among the progressive switcher groups who Labour need to win back ahead of the 2029 General Election and local and mayoral elections in between.

It doesn’t contain any detailed proposals for occupational health but does provide evidence to press for these changes, including full implementation of ‘The Well-Adapted UK’ recommendations at Labour Party Conference and other forums.  [object Object] | Publications | Labour Climate and Environment Forum

Next steps – The stage is set to push for occupational air pollution to be at the centre of the climate risk debate. This autumn the Hazards, TUC, and party conferences are an opportunity to shine a spotlight on this. The TUCAN Steering group meeting being held on August 11th will be a chance for unions to start shaping this campaign.

Graham Petersen

August 2026

TUCAN TUCAN – Greener Jobs Alliance

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Motion on a transformative approach to the fossil fuel energy crisis

Photo by Emma Renly on Unsplash

Motion on a transformative approach to the fossil fuel energy crisis

This draft motion – which can be used to generate debate and commitment to action in union and political party branches – has been worked on and had input from supporters of Greener Jobs Alliance, Fuel Poverty Action, the Campaign Against Climate Change and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. 

The escalation of the war on Iran, and UK complicity in it, and the evacuation of a quarter of a million people from the Bordeaux region to escape the wildfire that is threatening the city, both underline the urgency of getting our movements to face up to reality and take action on it.

Feel free to adapt, but let’s push this change of course.

Paul Atkin

Motion on a transformative approach to the fossil fuel energy crisis

The impact of the US/Israeli attack on Iran, overlaid by the extreme weather impacts of climate change, is creating a violent upward pressure on the cost of living that is likely to be long-lasting.

Food prices and energy prices are rising. 

Shortages are likely. 

Therefore this branch/district/ward (delete as appropriate) believes 

1. To stop the crisis, we need to stop the war, tax war profits and transfer military spending
2. The transition to renewable energy and energy conservation is the solution.  
3. Crisis measures must be social justice measures.

Resolves

1. To campaign on these points alongside other unions and campaigns locally as part of the Trade Union Year of Climate Action, including local actions during some or all of the Global Week of Action for Climate Justice (Sept 14th -20th) the Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice (Sept 21 – 27th) the Weekend of action against militarisation and conscription (21/22  November) support for national anti war demonstrations and actions during the COP and help organise a local showing of the National Emergency Briefing film.
2. As part of this, to support Fuel Poverty Action’s Make Green Fair campaign for the benefits of renewable energy and new technology for heating and cooling homes, to be fairly distributed to everyone.  
3. To send delegate(s) to the conference on 31 October ‘No Non-Radical Futures Available: Winning for the Climate; Winning for Workers’ and publicise it among our members
4. To send this as a motion alongside the attached statement to 

A) Unions version

a. the local trades council,

b. our union National Executive representatives to help inform discussion at national level. 

B) Labour Party wards

our local elected representatives and Party NEC representatives. 

C) Green or Your Party branches

our local elected representatives and our Central Executive Committee representatives.

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