Responding to our planetary emergency

The escalating planetary emergency, namely the interlinked ecological and climate crises, is a real and growing threat to the security of all life on this planet, our home.

At least five of nine planetary boundaries have already been crossed, while the world is on the brink of multiple climate and ecological tipping points that will have disastrous, irreversible impacts on ecosystems and human society. 

We already have a glimpse into this bleak future, with extreme weather events, such as floodings, wildfires and heatwaves becoming more frequent and severe. The effects on human life have been devastating, from increasing water scarcity and food insecurity to mass deaths and involuntary migration caused by flooding and heatwaves. The recent devastating floodings in Pakistan are another example of what we will face in the decades ahead as the planetary crisis worsens.

These events are having and will continue to have a greater impact on poor and working-class people across the globe: those who live in the most vulnerable regions, are least able to protect themselves and face spiralling costs in necessities such as energy, food and basic services as well as climate adaptation measures. And these are the very people who have contributed least to the problem. Let us never forget the class dynamics here: on the one hand approximately 10% of the richest are responsible for up to 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate breakdown. On the other, ecology without class politics is simply gardening, as Chico Mendes, murdered Brazilian trades unionist wisely said.

Overcoming this truly global crisis demands a restructuring of our ecodical capitalist economy and a major rethink in terms of how we utilise, mange, use and control the finite resources of our planet. Agriculture and food production, energy, industry, transport, finance, water, education and health care and public services will all need to be transformed if we are to successfully transition to a low carbon, resilient future. 

Whether and how this transition occurs – and who benefits from it – is something that cannot be left to chance. While the transition to a low carbon, climate resilient economy may be inevitable, whether it is just, is not. Putting the interests of workers and communities at the centre of ambitious climate action will require planning, coordinated action and leadership from the trade union movement.

Building on previous motions and ongoing work across our movement, Conference calls on ICTU to establish an Ecological and Climate Advisory Committee along the same lines as the Women, Youth, LGBT committees: 

This committee will:

·                     Engage with organisations, campaigns and communities to share knowledge and promote collaboration around issues of commonality; 

·                     Commission research into how the ecological crisis will affect Ireland in general, working class communities and the labour market in particular (this will be vital to ensure a ‘just transition’; 

·                     Explore new policies and models of economic development that support the delivery of good, well-paid. unionised jobs alongside social and environmental objectives e.g. the Green New Deal; 

·                     Work with affiliates and other key partners to both develop Just Transition proposals across sectors, regions and localities, and also educate and co-create solutions with communities  and workers; 

·                     Identify and strengthen the links between trade union policy on climate and other key issues (e.g. public ownership & economic democracy, public services, employment rights, housing, internationalism) 

·                     Learn the lessons of the ‘Lucas Plan’ and commit resources to enabling workers the space and time to develop climate and ecologically sustainable goods and services that meet human needs without either wrecking the planet or being subservient to profit making.  

The scientific reality is that there is no capitalist way out of the planetary emergency.  

We now have functional/scientific reasons for transcending and moving beyond capitalism to a social and economic system that meets the human needs of without destroying the life-supporting systems of the planet.