Demand a Green New Deal at the University of Liverpool

Campus unions and the students Guild are calling on the University of Liverpool to adopt a ‘Green New Deal Bargaining’ approach to tackle the Climate and Ecological Emergency and ensure a Just Transition to a sustainable future.
What does this mean?
Green New Deal bargaining is a grassroots approach to climate and environmental action. Governments, corporations, and civic organizations have failed to tackle the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Promises have not been kept and the pace of change has been slow. Whilst the University of Liverpool has made some initial progress, the sustainability strategy lacks ambition, transparency, democratic accountability, and clear commitments on resourcing.
The university is signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals but is failing to implement them within its own institutional practices. To create institutional accountability, shift the pace of change, and combat greenwashing we need strong mechanisms for collective staff and student voice. We need a Green New Deal to drive democratic change across all areas of the University’s practices and environmental impacts.
As a matter of URGENCY we are calling on the university to:

Declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency. Expand the 2035 Net Zero commitment to all scope 3 emissions including outsourced emissions generated from home working.
Recognise that measures to mitigate climate and environmental impacts are matters for joint consultation and negotiation with the campus unions and the Guild of students. Establish a new standing committee on Net Zero and environmental impacts with student, union and Senior Leadership Team participation.
Decarbonise and Decolonise the curriculum to support climate justice. Develop negotiated policies to achieve this with the trades unions and the Guild, addressing workload, training, and resourcing issues
Commit to bringing its research agenda into line with principles of sustainable development. Support a worker led transition away from funding streams tied to environmentally harmful activities.
Bring the university’s employment practices in line with the Sustainable Development Goals: decasualise employment practices, end race and gender pay gaps, and reduce inequality through the adoption of pay ratios.
Reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of its investment portfolio to net zero. Review the exclusions in the Ethical Investment Policy in consultation with unions and students and develop stronger oversight mechanisms for governing investment decisions

What can I do?
Staff: Join a union! Get involved with the building support for the Green New Deal claim. For more information contact UCU Green rep Ben Crawford: b.crawford@liv.ac.uk
Students: Contact the Guild to say you support the Green New Deal: guildweb@liv.ac.uk