27 May 2019 Mik Aidt

Non-governmental climate emergency declarations

→ Businesses
→ Radio stations
→ Universities
→ Schools
→ Organisations
→ Scientific societies
→ Religious organisations
→ Political parties

The Australian Climate Emergency Declaration campaign, which was launched on this website in May 2016, was primarily directed towards governments. As of today, the phrase ‘climate emergency’ and the idea of declaring a climate emergency in a motion, amendment or declaration-paper, is also used by non-governmental bodies and groups, such as:

  • Universities: University of Bristol, of Exeter and of Newcastle recently declared a climate emergency
  • The Club of Rome, an international organisation with members including eminent scientists, business leaders, ex-politicians and retired heads of state
  • Political parties, including the UK Labour Party and Scottish National Party
  • Scientific societies, such as the Australian Society for Parasitology
  • Community radio stations, such as 94.7 The Pulse in Geelong, Australia
  • Large environmental organisations, including Greenpeace and WWF, which have just now adopted the term, and grass roots activist groups such as Extinction Rebellion​
  • Networks and alliances, such as EAUC, the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education, which represents over 200 institutions with a combined total of 2 million students and nearly 400,000 staff, and the International Federation of Social Workers
  • School strikers and the #FridaysForFuture movement

Cedamia monitors the field and compiles data on this map of non-government climate emergency declarations

Find many more details and links below, together with examples of related quotes, articles and news stories. This is an area that keeps growing on a daily basis.


BUSINESSES

• B Corps, a global network of 4,000 companies in 150 industries in 74 different countries

UNITED KINGDOM
• Blenheim Palace
• Cotswold Fayre – fine food wholesaler, 32 employees, CEO: Paul Hargreaves
• Ecotricity – ‘Britain’s greenest energy company’, CEO: Dale Vince
• Exodus Travel – as part of ‘Tourism Declares’
• Laverock Law Cottages
• Leap – communication and graphic design agency in Cornwall
• Phoenix Adam
• Price & Myers
• Rowlinson Knitwear
• The Long Run – as part of ‘Tourism Declares’
• ToastAle – brewery
• Verco Global
• Wholegrain Digital – WordPress web design and development agency in London

AUSTRALIA
• BioPak, Sydney, New South Wales (article)
• Lion, Victoria
• Tandem Energy, South Australia

UNITED STATES
• Fetzer Vineyards, California
• Mightybytes, Illinois

LITHUANIA
• Romantic


BUSINESS ALLIANCES AND CHAMBERS

AUSTRALIA
• Business 4 Climate Action, Boonah, Queensland – 19 scenic rim businesses

USA / GLOBAL
• Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency – a global community of 323 organisations, companies and professionals working together to plan a better future for tourism.


BUSINESSES – MEDIA COVERAGE

“I am announcing this week that we, at Cotswold Fayre, have declared a climate emergency and I am encouraging you to do so too.”
~ Paul Hargreaves, Cotswold Fayre CEO

→ Wholegrain Digital – 17 July 2019:
Why we are declaring a climate emergency, and you should too

→ Centre for Climate Safety – 2 June 2019:
Business leaders declare a climate emergency

→ Quartz – 29 May 2019:
The best way to fight climate change is to treat it like a business
Opinion piece by Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab

→ The Guardian – 22 May 2019:
Amazon workers demand Bezos act on climate crisis
“Jeff’s inaction and lack of meaningful response underscore his dismissal of the climate crisis and spoke volumes about how Amazon’s board continues to de-prioritize addressing Amazon’s role in the climate emergency.”

→ BusinessGreen – 20 May 2019:
The XR effect: Ecotricity declares ‘climate emergency’ and sets 2025 net zero target
“In what could prove to be a world first, green entrepreneur Dale Vince has today declared a ‘climate emergency’ at renewable energy specialist Ecotricity.”

“Most businesses were not designed in the context of the developing climate emergency. Hence we must urgently redesign entire industries and businesses, using science-based targets.

To kick start the process and in support of the social movement for a climate emergency, a number of business leaders in April 2019 stated that businesses should make a declaration that we face a climate emergency and organise a session at a full board meeting to consider the case for urgent action. They said they would encourage the senior management teams of which they are part to do likewise.

These individuals are committed to examine the question of how to help business and financial markets to do what currently seems to be impossible for them: to declare a climate emergency – and then develop transition plans in close consultation with wider society. The plan is that we will convene working sessions through 2019.”

→ Business declares a climate emergency:
www.climate-emergency.com/business



https://twitter.com/JayCoenGilbert/status/1133731972910596097





RADIO STATIONS

AUSTRALIA

• 94.7 The Pulse in Geelong






UNIVERSITIES

BRITAIN
• Bristol University
• Clare College MCR
• East Anglia University (UEA)
• Essex University
• Exeter University
• Falmouth University
• Keele University
• Lincoln University
• Newcastle University
• St Andrews University

WALES
• Bangor University

SCOTLAND
• Glasgow University

SPAIN
• Barcelona Tech (UPC), Catalonia
• El Claustro Universitario de la UPC
• La Universidad de Salamanca
• University of Malaga

USA
• Auburn University, Alabama
• Southern Connecticut State University, Connecticut
• Sterling College, Vermont



Letter: Universities declare climate emergency

Universities and other institutions from six continents have declared a climate emergency in a letter detailing a three-point plan to address the climate crisis ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit in September.

The letter marks the first time higher education establishments have collectively committed to address the climate crisis.

On 13 August 2019, 139 institutions representing 2,315,719 students and 41 networks representing 8,296 institutions had signed the letter.

The letter is part of The SDG Accord – the university and college sector’s collective response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

→ IISD – 23 July 2019:
Universities Declare Climate Emergency Ahead of Climate Action Summit





Three-point plan
“Networks representing more than 7,000 higher and further education institutions from 6 continents announced that they are declaring a Climate Emergency, and agreed to undertake a three-point plan to address the crisis through their work with students.

The three-point plan includes:
1. Committing to going carbon neutral by 2030 or 2050 at the very latest;
2. Mobilizing more resources for action-oriented climate change research and skills creation;
3. Increasing the delivery of environmental and sustainability education across curricula, campus and community outreach programmes.”

→ UN Environment – 10 July 2019:
Higher and Further Education Institutions across the globe declare Climate Emergency

How to sign up your university
There is a ‘Click here to sign’-link on this page: www.sdgaccord.org/climateletter
That link will take you to a Google form that you can use to sign on your university to declare a climate emergency.


“As a university we have committed to reduce carbon emissions, established a sustainability strategy and developed an ethical investment policy. We know though that we need to go further and faster, and we have been inspired by our staff, students and community to ensure we grasp the opportunity – indeed obligation – to show greater leadership on the climate emergency facing all of us.”
~ Professor Sir Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Exeter, United Kingdom

→ Devon Live – 20 May 2019:
University of Exeter declares ‘environment and climate emergency’
“The future of our planet and community is at stake” – “The University of Exeter has declared an environment and climate emergency. There are increasing calls for urgent action with governments, councils and a range of organisations declaring an environment and climate emergency.”



SCHOOLS

AUSTRIA
HLBLA St Florian, Austria

GREECE
Dorothy Snot Pre-school and Kindergarten, Athens
Mia Fora Ki Enan Kairo

ITALY
Engim San Luca di Torino
I.C. Capasso-Mazzini
IC Ercolano 5 – Iovino – Scotellaro
IISS Notarangelo Rosati Foggia
Istituto Comprensivo di Salsomaggiore Terme
ITI E. Majorana Grugliasco
l’IIS Vallauri di Fossano
Liceo Scientifico Giuseppe Mercalli, Naples
Marzotto Luzzatti, Valdagno

UNITED KINGDOM
The Chase School


UK Labour have pledged to make the global climate emergency a key part of the school curriculum from primary school onwards. The Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner promised a curriculum that would not just educate young people about the ecological and social impact of the climate crisis, but also prepare them for the renewable energy and green technology jobs of the future.

→ Labour.org – 23 May 2019:
Labour to make climate change core part of school curriculum

→ See also: www.cedamia.org/schools




ORGANISATIONS, INSTITUTIONS AND ALLIANCES

GLOBAL
• International Federation of Social Workers


AUSTRALIA
• The Australian Medical Association, Australia’s top medical body
• Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV)
• Western Australian Local Government Association
• The Blue House, Mullumbimby

→ News – 3 September 2019:
Doctors declare climate change ’emergency’


• Australian Architects Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency
ARM Architecture, and many more architect companies

“For everyone working in the construction industry, meeting the needs of our society without breaching the earth’s ecological boundaries will demand a paradigm shift in our behaviour. Together with our clients, we will need to commission and design buildings, cities and infrastructures as indivisible components of a larger, constantly regenerating and self-sustaining system.”
~ Architects Declare Australia

“Australian architects are joining an international declaration recognising the existence of a global environmental and biodiversity climate emergency. Wtating that “the research and technology exist for us to begin that transformation now, but what has been lacking is collective will,” the architects seek to “advocate for faster change in our industry towards regenerative design practices,” “establish climate and biodiversity mitigation principles as the key measure of our industry’s success,” and “upgrade existing buildings for extended use as a more carbon efficient alternative to demolition,” among other goals.

→ Archinect – 31 July 2019:
Australian architects declare climate and biodiversity emergency


• Australian Engineers Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency
Close to 1,000 individuals and 74 engineer companies and organisations had signed on 29 September 2019.


David Hood: “Calling all engineers out there.”


DENMARK
• Danish Architects Declare Climate & Biodiversity Emergency


UNITED KINGDOM
• National Federation of Builders (NFB) – major contractors group

• EAUC – the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education

• Culture Declares Emergency was launched on 3 April 2019 with the first wave of 193 declarers announced – many of these theatres, concert venues, cultural institutions and organisations, such as Aberdeen Performing Arts, Shakespeare’s Globe, Royal Court Theatre in London, Centre for Contemporary Art and The Natural World in Dartington, Museum of Liverpool, and many more.

• The Royal Institute of British Architects has joined the international declaration, Architects Declare.


USA
• United Western Lenape Nation
• In June, the American Institute of Architects passed its own resolution calling for “urgent and sustained climate action”.


CANADA
• Bloc Québécois






SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

• The Australian Society for Parasitology Inc.

The Australian Society for Parasitology is the first scientific society to do so, and hopes to inspire others to follow.

→ Read more on www.parasite.org.au




RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS AND BODIES

GLOBAL
• World Council of Churches

UNITED KINGDOM
• Community of Christ – British Isles Mission Centre and its congregations
• Diocese of Bristol and Swindon
• Church of England General Synod

ITALY
• The Vatican

AUSTRALIA
• Anglican Diocese of Perth, Western Australia (article)







POLITICAL PARTIES

AUSTRALIA
• The Australian Greens
• New South Wales Greens Party
• South Australia Greens Party
• Victorian Greens Party

SCOTLAND
• Scottish National Party

UNITED KINGDOM
• UK Labour Party
• The Green Party of England and Wales