Climate Action North supports Greenpeace’s Just Transition campaign

Environmental activists Greenpeace moored its iconic Rainbow Warrior III vessel in Sunderland as part of its campaign to demand a fair transition to renewable energy.

The charity is campaigning to ensure that a move to an environmentally stable economy avoids leaving no one behind and wants to see workers in particular those employed in the oil and gas sector retrained to keep green energy powering the world.

Climate Action North, along with special guest Sunderland City Council Deputy Leader Claire Rowntree, were invited to sign the petition mounted on a 42-foot wind turbine blade to access sustainable, green skilled jobs in the move to green power.

The Just Transition petition is mounted on a 42-foot wind turbine blade.

Climate Action North’s Managing Director, Sharon Lashley, said: “We fully support this campaign for the UK’s transition to renewable energy to be done in a fair way, so that workers in the fossil fuel sector are able to move into sustainable jobs without being left behind.

“We’ll need these workers for the energy transition to be a success, and it is vital that we avoid a situation where a whole workforce, and whole communities are left with high unemployment – as we saw happen with coal miners in the 1980s.”

“Offshore workers have powered our economy through some really difficult times and have plenty of transferable skills that will be vital to our transition to renewable energy.”

Guests are given a tour of the Rainbow Warrior ship at Sunderland Harbour as part of the “Just Transition” tour.

Sunderland City Council Deputy Leader Claire Rowntree said: ‘’it’s vital that we do all we can to ensure the communities and jobs most affected by the inevitable switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy receive the levels of support required as we plan for a cleaner, greener future.

“Sunderland is home to many businesses that operate in the oil and gas and energy sectors and we must ensure that businesses, and their employees, receive the levels of support required to adjust to the switch to renewable energy and we’re committed to doing everything we can to help them achieve this.”

Councillor James Blackburn (left) Sunderland City Council Deputy, Claire Rowntree (right) are given a tour of the Rainbow Warrior ship at Sunderland Harbour as part of the “Just Transition” tour.

The 190ft yacht will make stops in several locations across the country during the tour, hosting speeches and films focused around the Just Transition theme.

Read more about the Just Transition campaign.

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