30th June mass lobby: three campaigns to raise with your MP
Corona Virus has been incredibly hard for so many of us. But it’s also a significant moment for change, in which the regular patterns of hundreds of millions of people’s lives have been forcefully interrupted, not just as individuals but as part of local and global communities. The record player of all our lives has been jolted by this pandemic, and when the needle returns to the vinyl, perhaps we could find ourselves in a different groove? We don’t simply want a return to normal - we need politicians to put climate action at the heart of plans to rebuild our economy to create a cleaner, greener, fairer world for future generations.
On 30 June we are coming together for the Climate Coalition’s first ever virtual lobby, and you’re invited! Thousands of us will gather online to ask MPs to put people, climate and nature at the heart of our nation’s recovery. If you haven’t already, you can sign up here to put your name down to be part of this momentous occasion.
On the day, here’s three Possible campaigns you can discuss with your MP. If in doubt, we’ve even included some questions you can ask them to get you going but of course feel free to adapt them however you like.
Airlines have been hit hard in the wake of the Corona Virus outbreak. In response airline bosses are calling for public bailouts, so they can go back to business as usual as quickly as possible. Possible is one of over 250 organisations around the world working together to demand that any bailouts put airline workers before company profits, commit airlines to reducing emissions, not growing them and ensure airlines pay fair taxes, like everyone else.
What to say to your MP
We know that it’s not a choice between tackling the climate crisis and protecting jobs - we can and must do both. And you can push your MP to explain their position, check they’ve read our recent report, and ask them to raise this issue with the Chancellor.
Do you agree that airlines shouldn’t get bailouts without conditions attached to prevent them making tens of thousands of redundancies, and ensure they cut their emissions to protect the climate?
Did you see the recent report produced by Possible, the New Economics Foundation and trade unions, calling for any airline bailouts to go towards protecting workers?
Will you write to the Chancellor on my behalf, saying you don’t think airlines should be able to get publicly funded support unless they commit to protecting workers and the climate?
Did you see recent YouGov polling for Possible which found that just one in ten people (13%) thought that airlines should receive additional state financial support regardless of whether they make significant staff redundancies? What will you do to ensure that airlines don’t get bailouts while firing thousands of staff?
Ministers are about to block large scale heat pumps - a key technology we need to tackle climate change. It puts the future of Possible’s work, putting heat pumps under parks to provide clean and low-cost heat to local buildings is at risk, as well as plans to install them in schools, universities, farms and supermarkets.
A final decision hasn’t quite been made yet - but we only have until 7 July to act. That’s why Possible have teamed up with a coalition of organisations, including those in retail, utilities, agriculture, housing and academia, that will be affected by this decision. We’re challenging the government to pause and re-think their plans for future support for large-scale heat pump projects. We need your help to bring the government to the table.
What to ask your MP
Would you be willing to write to the Secretary of State for BEIS and urge them to agree to the Pump It Up campaign’s request for an urgent meeting regarding their plans for future support for large-scale heat pump projects?
Stride and Ride is a new campaign we’re running to encourage those who are able to pledge to walk, cycle, run or scoot at least five journeys in a fortnight. Each day corresponds to one of five benefits of more people taking ‘active’ journeys, including keeping public transport safe for those who rely on it and those who work on it; keeping air safe to breathe; ensuring streets are safe; reducing carbon emissions; and improving personal health and lowering the strain on the NHS.
The more people that join us, the better the outcomes for everyone, however they travel. In order to get as many people as possible striding and riding, the government needs to ensure local authorities have sufficient funding to make walking and cycling safe, easy and accessible to all - and that ambitious policies are brought in as soon as possible to keep us walking and cycling long term.
What to ask your MP
Would you please write to the transport minister Grant Shapps on my behalf, and urge him to:
Ensure councils have immediate access to the funds and up to date standards needed to implement temporary cycling and walking infrastructure, and to increase access to bikes and cycle training
Increase funding to at least £6 billion over the next 5 years to double cycling and increase walking by 2025
Rethink the £27bn roads programme and redirect funds to local clean transport measures
Adjust the default speed limit in built up areas to 20mph
Clean up our air by setting WHO clean air targets in law and mandating and funding local authorities to create clean air zones
And finally, please consider taking the Stride and Ride 5 pledge yourself, and help get more people taking part.
We’d love to hear how your conversations with your MPs go on Tuesday! Please let us know by emailing hello@wearepossible.org