Union calls for more climate action from Harper government

The BCGEU is signing on to the KYOTOplus Petition, and is urging members to do the same. A broad range of organizations are partnering in this petition, including the Climate Action Network (Canada), Sierra Club, and Greenpeace.

The goal is to ensure our federal government gets the message that Canadians want a credible plan to bring down greenhouse gas emissions. And at the upcoming United Nations climate change meeting in Copenhagen this winter, we want Ottawa to strengthen the Kyoto Protocol that Canada has already signed on to.

The Petition states:

To preserve our environment and ensure a liveable world for our children, I call on Canadian politicians to support these KYOTOplus goals:

· Set a national target to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 25 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020.

· Implement an effective national plan to reach this target and help developing countries to reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change.

· Adopt a bold, strengthened second phase of the Kyoto Protocol at the pivotal United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, December 2009.

Please sign the petition and check out the KYOTOplus webpage.

Climate change threatens us all - our environment, our health, our economy, our social services, and our children's future. Significant reductions in greenhouse gases are required if we are to slow and reverse the effects of climate change.

This is only one part of BCGEU's long term campaign to stop climate change. We are taking action to:

· reduce our union's carbon footprint;

· help members reduce their carbon footprint in their personal lives and in their communities; and

· ensure that government and employers also take action.

The BCGEU is also committed to a climate justice approach. That means the consequences and costs of climate change are shared equally, and that working people and those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change are treated fairly in the transition to more environmentally sustainable practices.