Public Meeting and Further Action

Bradford Campaign Against Climate Change had a small but perfectly formed meeting at Bradford Central Library last night, which included representatives of Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the Green Party, the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Science and Respect. We discussed the problems facing us and our strategies for building the movement in the months after the Climate March. There were disagreements, which were aired in a calm and friendly way and did not greatly affect our decisions about further action.

We decided that our first course of action should be, under the idea of Think Global, Act Local, to lobby Bradford Council to go further in cutting its own emissions and those of the area for which it is responsible. The Council is a signatory to the Nottingham Declaration, which binds it to such action. Graham Love (Green Party councillor) said he would put down a written question about this, to which the council should respond at the full council meeting a week on Tuesday, when he would have the chance to ask a supplementary. We may demonstrate at the next council meeting if their answers fall short of our reasonable expectations.

We also decided that we should get out more material in languages other than English in our area and leaflet mosques and temples. We should also have small and quite informal meetings in community centres and similar buildings. If you have any ideas for further action add comments to this blog.

May I urge you all to write letters to the local newspapers highlighting the march, and pointing out that many people in Bradford, including quite a lot of young people, are very concerned about this issue.

Still tickets left at the Students' Union for the coach. I've sold all mine!

The Respect conference passed several motions on climate change and nuclear power last weekend. Read about them here. If any other organisations have conferences which pass such motions, please feel free to include news about them in the comments.