Environment/Climate Change, Energy
Responding to the challenge of climate change
Climate change, the largest single threat to current and future generations, is posing fundamental challenges for public services and public service workers. In recent years, we have seen extreme weather events, flooding and forest fires for example, leading to loss of life and widespread damage and destruction of buildings and infrastructure. Our members across many services have been part of the immediate and longer term response – in emergency and rescue services, energy and water, local and regional government. EPSU has been working hard to influence policies at global and European level aimed at decarbonising our economies and calling for a shift away from growth at all costs. It is essential that we achieve a more sustainable society is achieved through a just transition whereby no one is left behind.
This briefing, produced for EPSU's 2019 Congress, sets out the federation's recent activity on climate change and current priorities. EPSU has published research focusing on some of the key issues and policy developments including its position on the EU's Green Deal, the failure of energy liberalisation to address climate change and an analysis of action on climate change adaptation.
Take workers' and citizens' interests into account in EU-Russia Energy Dialogue
(18 June 2007) Leaders of the Russian energy trade unions (production, transmission, distribution; state and municipal utilities) stated very clearly that opening of the electricity and gas markets will hurt
Keynes on why competition in electricity and other network industries doesnot work
(18 September 2007) John Maynard Keynes identified in the 1920s cost and demand conditions under which competition doesn't emerge. This seems largely forgotten. Keynes goes further, to explain how economists
Proposals for liberalising the European energy market fail to meet the real challenges
Brussels, 20/09/2007 {{ {Yesterday, the European Commission published its plans for liberalising European energy. In the name of consumer protection, it continues in the pursuit of liberalisation of the European
Sceptisicm over impact of third liberalisation package by social partners
A Commission representative introduced the new package of measures to liberalise Europe's energy markets as published 19 September 2007. Important issues in this package are: ownership unbundling, cooperation of transmission
Baltic Energy Representatives call Latvian EU Energy Commissioner's plans "More Unraveling than Unbundling"Government, Company, Trade Union and Energy Regulator combine in opposition to EU energy plans for unbundling
(9 November 2007, Riga) EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs', proposal for ownership unbundling remains hotly contested including in his home country of Latvia and neighboring Estonia. At a seminar in