Ella's Blog: We Need a Green New Deal!
The Guild is calling for a Green New Deal alongside the University of Liverpool’s trade union branches - UCU, Unite, and Unison.
Severe climate impacts will occur at 1.5 degrees celsius warming from pre-industrial levels. If temperatures increase by 2 degrees or more, we risk facing both a climate and ecological collapse.
Large institutions, who contribute significantly to the climate crisis, are still not paying attention nor are they acting at the speed and level required.
However, at the Guild we believe the University lacks the necessary urgency; the issue must be treated like the crisis it is.
The University of Liverpool has put some sustainability targets on the table. However, at the Guild we believe the University lacks the necessary urgency; the issue must be treated like the crisis it is. As Greta Thunberg said to the UN ‘I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.’
The University needs to acknowledge that the effects of climate breakdown are steeped in inequality. Action needs to be taken to help a just transition; this means combating systematic inequalities while simultaneously acting to stop the universities direct contributions on planetary harm. Therefore, the Green New Deal is calling for the decolonising and decarbonising of the University.
The University has previously failed to meet its 2020 target, which aimed to reduce the 2005 emissions by 36%. We need future targets to be clearly outlined with timelines and smaller targets to ensure commitments will be reached.
We are calling for a Green New Deal at the University of Liverpool, urging the University to commit to a just transition to a green economy. This includes:
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Decarbonising and decolonising the curriculum and all processes across the institution.
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Ensuring research and its funding is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals
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Employment to be in line with the Sustainable Development Goals
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Net zero, including scope three* and no offsetting that isn’t avoidable**
We need the University of Liverpool to commit to a Green New Deal for the survival of the planet and for the people on it.
We need action fast. The climate crisis will not be solved by individuals making small changes to their daily lives. We need system change; universities are historically pioneers of change. The University of Liverpool has a chance to be a leader transforming the systems in which we live. We need the University of Liverpool to commit to a Green New Deal for the survival of the planet and for the people on it. We need commitments and action to radical and sustainable changes that will safeguard the University community, our futures, the global population, and the planet on which we live.
Read the full claim here: https://ulivucunews.org.uk/green-new-deal/
Sign the petition calling the university to commit to a Green New Deal:
*Scope 3 = all the indirect emissions in the value chain. So, scope 3 covers the emissions that occur as a result of activities that are not directly controlled by the organisation, but that the organisation impacts in its value chain.
