DM2021: Climate emergency
Journalists and union members need to be at the forefront of promoting environmental policies and green behaviour.
The finance motions may have been seen as the most important to the union, but delegates speaking to the climate emergency motion had the future of the planet in mind.
Gareth Simkins, an environmental policy writer, said journalists had an important role in the way the climate emergency is reported and unions on how employers behaved in relation to promoting carbon neutral policies. They both needed to be at the forefront of making the goals of having a greener economy possible.
Stuart Smith said his branch, London Freelance Branch, was organising a climate salon to give members tips on how to report on the climate emergency.
A composite motion, further amended by the NEC, won universal support and committed the union to:- Educate members about the climate emergency;
- Urge journalists to cover the climate impact of all political, planning and industrial decisions;
- Persuade chapels to elect a climate rep and hold employers to account with regard to the climate impact of business decisions;
- Campaign with a range of organisations to a promote initiatives to promote a greener, fairer economy, including organising events or conferences bringing together people from across the trade union movement.
- Encourage NUJ staff and members attending meetings to choose the most climate-friendly means of transport where practically and financially feasible;
- Promote the need for a net zero carbon economy in all NUJ publications.