Here’s all the stuff discussed at the last monthly online UK meeting (21 May 2019):

Starting or nurturing a group

A brief training session by Gina, Judy and Louisa. Click here for the guidance notes and lots of useful links (Word doc in Google drive).


Cap and trade by Mini Grey

What’s the difference between carbon fee and dividend and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme?

The quick answer is coverage of 100 percent of fossil fuel emissions v 20 percent..!

But, if you want to know more, illustrator Mini Grey has written a handy guide with some beautiful drawings.

Here it is: minigrey-blog.com

Who knew economics could be so good-looking?


And more on carbon fee and dividend, John Oliver-style

If you like potty-mouthed John Oliver’s form of political satire, then check out his report on climate change and Canada’s take on CF&D, from December 2018. The carbon fee and dividend bit is at 25 minutes in. (Thanks to Irene for spotting this.)


The Government is consulting on carbon pricing!

Separate post to follow, but here’s a heads up on our latest campaign.

The government is consulting on taxing greenhouse gas emissions (i.e. carbon pricing) after we leave the EU. Currently we are part of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS; see above).

Could you do the following?

  • write to your MP saying that carbon fee and dividend is the best form of carbon taxation. Covers five times as many emissions from fossil fuels than the EU ETS, ie all of them – not 20 percent.
  • Talk to experts and anyone influential to ask them to share their opinion with the Government that CF&D is the best form of carbon taxation.
  • Talk to groups, local councils, businesses – anyone – and ask them to write to the Government and ask them to seriously consider CF&D as the new carbon taxation.

Meanwhile, we are preparing an official CCL UK response to the Government consultation. If you have any thoughts, do email Dave Waltham.

Or you can, of course, respond as an individual (or as another group, business, etc) using the official form: gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-of-uk-carbon-pricing

The consultation closes on 12 July 2019.


European Commissioners

European commissioners

Is the EU considering CF&D?

Sign this and share!

https://eci.ec.europa.eu/007/public/#/initiative

The UK employing CF&D by itself would have a limited effect. What we really need to get things going is for the European Commission to bring it in across the EU!

The good news is that CCL EU has set up a European Citizens’ Initiative.

It’s like a UK Government petition but with real teeth – when it reaches a total of 1 million signatures, the European Commission will consider whether they can turn it into EU policy. Exciting stuff!

Here’s the info about the European Citizens’ Initiative:

“It is a participatory democracy instrument that allows citizens to suggest concrete legal changes in any field where the European Commission has power to propose legislation, such as the environment, agriculture, energy, transport or trade.

An initiative enables citizens from different member states to come together around an issue close to their heart with a view to influencing EU policy-making.

To launch an initiative, it takes 7 EU citizens, living in at least 7 different Member States who are old enough to vote. Once an initiative gathers 1 million signatures with minimum thresholds reached in at least 7 countries, the European Commission must decide whether or not to take action.”


Monthly online UK meetings every third Tuesday

We regularly meet online – gathering members from across the UK – every third Tuesday of the month (18 June, 16 July, 20 August, 17 September, 15 October, 19 November, 17 December)

The link (via Zoom and your web browser or smart phone app) is always:

https://zoom.us/j/466140846

So save the dates and the link in your diary.