Weekly digest 11-17 November. #Manchester #Climate stuff

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.

Please fill in this short (five question) survey about climate action and Manchester

 

  1. 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

  • Monday 11th, 7-8.30pm The UK’s Pathway to Net-Zero: where do local authorities come in? Friends of the Earth Event –  Green Fish Resource Centre, 46-50 Oldham St, Manchester,
  • Tuesday 12th, 7.30pm Planning for the next Climate Strikes, Mechanics Institute 103 Princess St, Manchester M1 6DD. Latest details on Facebook event page
  • Wednesday 13th, 1pm – FRED Talk with Kevin Anderson (hosted by Fossil Free University of Manchester) Can meaningful hope spring from revealing the depth of our climate failure? Samuel Alexander Building Rm SG.16, University of Manchester,
  • Wed 13th, 7pm  Manchester Climate Action Organising Meeting. Dulcimer Bar, 567 Wilbraham Rd, Manchester M21 0AE  Latest details on Facebook event page
  • Friday 15th, 12 noon Fridays for Future. St Peters Square (in front of Central Library)
  • Saturday 16th, 930am – 5pm Energise – a day of retrofit learning and inspiration (see interview with organiser here).

Council meetings – (see calendar here)

  • Planning and Highways on Thursday at 2pm. Do take your video cameras and film to your heart’s content. No need to ask anyone’s permission…

 (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).

Here’s a letter which appeared in the Manchester Evening News on Saturday about the total lack of response from Manchester City Council to this report.

We will, honestly, start posting the promised ‘how to’s on our website.  First up, how to lobby a councillor….

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

A must-read piece by long-term campaigner Pete Abel on trying to get the City Council to be slightly less appalling on its transport decisions…

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