Weekly digest:  28 October to 3 November 2019 #climate #Manchester

Weekly digest:  29 October to 3 November 2019

Climate Emergency Manchester works to scrutinise the City Council’s actual action on climate change (as distinct from promises), and to connect people in Manchester who are working for a greener fairer city. The core group has five people. You don’t have to come to meetings to be active, involved, and useful. We give a damn about your development. We will try to do weekly bulletins for a bit. Apologies in advance if we miss something or some weeks. Most bulletins will appear on Sunday or Monday.

  1. a) What is coming up in Manchester this week (specifically on climate change)

[NB appearance in this calendar does not reflect the endorsement of Climate Emergency Manchester, or a guarantee of quality.]

Protests and campaigns meetings
Weds 30th  6.15-8pm  This Changes Everything Halloween Screening (hosted by Fossil Free University of Manchester) Come join us in room 2.5 of the UoM students union for a screening of climate justice film This Changes Everything coupled with a potluck of bring your own Halloween inspired foods and drinks! The screening will be followed by drinks & discussion in bar 532!

Weds 30th Patagonia Action Works – Launch Event (hosted by Patagonia, King St)

Weds 30th  Manchester Climate Action Organising Meeting

Friday 1st 12noon Fridays for Future. St Peters Square (in front of Central Library)

Fri 1  XR24 At The BBC – 24 Hour Silence BBC Media City Manchester · More details from xrmcr.org

Council meetings – nowt this week of note, but 6th and 7th November there are Neighbourhoods and Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee meetings which should/will have climate components.  

Weds 6th 2pm- nope – the Climate Subgroup’s request for a report/Tyndall person to come to Neighbourhoods to talk about climate budgets seems to have not born fruit. (Agenda here)

Thurs 7th 10am -Economy Scrutiny Committee will be Green Skills being discussed! Agenda will be up here by tomorrow. 

 (Please, never ever go to a Scrutiny Committee on your own, especially your first time. A more alienating and intimidating experience is hard to imagine).

 

Manchester Friends of the Earth maintains a VERY good calendar on their website (we have pinched stuff for this bulletin!)

You can also sign up for their weekly digests here

 

2. Recent stuff on/Stuff that will be appearing on the CEM website this coming week

Here are our two recent reports

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The Dead Tortoise Society – assessment of Council’s actual climate action (as opposed to bluster and bluff)  based on Freedom of Information Act requests

With Love and Rockets – positive suggestions about what the Council (and Joe/Jane Public could do).

We will start posting the promised ‘how to’s on our website.  First up, how to write a press release….

 

3. Urgent jobs and roles CEM would really like people to take on

Jobs

  • Contacting your councillors (you can find them here) and ask them what they are doing/planning to do in their wards.  
  • Getting us (any one or two of the five of us) invited to speak at your church/mosque/trade union/community group, you name it.  We prefer to do interactive workshops, but can also do traditional ‘talk followed by Q and A format if you like.
  • (more jobs coming soon!)


Roles

  • Someone who will read the Manchester Evening News everyday and let us know “things that are of interest,” especially if the Council is making claims, or big carbon-intensive infrastructure is being built
  • Someone who will keep an eye on what other cities are doing on climate change (especially but not exclusively UK) and let us know…

If nothing here floats your boat, please email us on climateemergencymanchester@gmail.com

It also really helps us if you fill in our get involved form, which asks what skills and knowledge you have and what you’d like.

 

4. Brilliant stuff we have read and think you’d like to read too

Mary Helgar, an African Amercian writer has just published a ‘’must read’ piece about Hurricane Katrina, the long history of racism and … well.  Please read it – “After the Storm

There is also this on why protests don’t work ‘like they used to’ from the New York Times.

 

This bulletin will evolve (or possibly regress).  Make suggestions as you see fit!