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Dear Friends,
 
We hope that this finds you well.

We know this winter has felt long and difficult, with moments of respite few and far between. We spent much of this month dreaming of Spring and trying to enjoy the snow. You can some wintry scenes from where each of us is based in Stroud, Norwich and East London below. I also took the opportunity to fashion a snow Ox to welcome in the Lunar New Year earlier this month :) Thankfully, the weather has now warmed up and Spring is arriving! 

 
As you may have gleaned from our update last month, this year is a big year for climate mobilisation with the COP26 UN climate talks coming up in November. That means we’ll be writing on a more regular basis to share news, opportunities and resources.
 
This month, we thought it would be helpful to explain in more detail what COP26 is and why the UK climate movement is so excited about. You can read more about this in the blog Oonagh has written here. In the blog, you’ll also find our key COP26 messages at Quaker Peace & Social Witness and ways you can get involved in the mobilisation for COP26.
 
We’re also very excited to be collaborating with Woodbrooke to run a series of monthly calls in the run up to COP26. These calls are intended to support Friends interested in taking action on climate change in the run up to and during the COP26 and will begin today!
 
Scroll down to find out more about these calls and other recent news, upcoming events and useful resources.

In Friendship,

Rebecca

Rebecca Woo
Campaigns and Advocacy Coordinator
Quaker Peace & Social Witness
020 7663 1107 | rebeccaw@quaker.org.uk 

Updates

Monthly calls to prepare for COP26 with QPSW and Woodbrooke

QPSW and Woodbrooke are working together this year to run monthly online sessions, supporting Quakers who are involved with or interested in taking action on climate change in the run up to and during the COP26 UN climate talks, which will be held in Glasgow in November 2021. These sessions are open to all Quakers and will provide a space for spiritual grounding, as well as sharing and learning about taking action for climate justice. The first session is today – you can sign up for tonight or future sessions on Woodbrooke’s website.

A chance to connect with Friends around the world
 
Our friends at Friends World Committee for Consultation (“FWCC”) are hosting the next FWCC Quaker Conversation exploring 'How do we seize the moment to protect God’s creation and life on earth?'. The session will be led by Susanna Mattingly, a young Friend who works with Quakers worldwide on issues of sustainability and climate justice. Participants will have the chance to join in with the conversation in breakout rooms in small groups. FWCC are hoping the session will have a strong intergenerational mix of Friends so please help spread the word to friends of all ages. It will also be a great opportunity to connect with Friends around the world with shared concerns about the climate.
 
The session will take place on Saturday 27 February 2021 at 8pm UK time (look up your local timezone here). You can find out more and register to attend here. You can also catch up on the seven previous FWCC Quaker Conversations in the series on their website.

We are also working with FWCC to connect Quakers around the world as Pen Pals, to learn more about the human impacts of the climate crisis and how it is threatening the world we love. In correspondence with one another, Friends can discuss the commitments we would like to see governments make at COP26, as well as exploring how Quakers can call on governments to do this. Read more about this, and how to get involved on FWCC's website.

Exploring the links between climate change, health, social care and disability justice 

Climate change has been identified as the biggest threat to public health. Health and social care will play a crucial role; both in addressing its impacts and in adapting and taking action to tackle climate change. But how can we ensure we realise meaningful and sustainable change? 

Our friends at Stop Climate Chaos Scotland ("SCCS") are hosting a panel discussion on Thursday 25 February from 2-3:15pm to explore this question and look at the solutions required to respond to climate change. The panel will reflect on the resources and supports required to implement change and consider how we ensure that the rights and needs of disabled people, people living with long term conditions and unpaid carers are at the centre of this work. SCCS are welcoming attendees not just from across the climate movement but also from the health and social care sector. If you would like to join or know someone who would, you can find the sign up link here!

"Greening the environment is not just a matter of reducing UK carbon emissions, it is a matter of survival for so many"
 
In the latest Rethinking Security blog, Rosemary Crawley tells the story of one woman driven to leave her home in the Niger Delta, and her experience as she came to seek security in Britain. Telling stories like these is particularly important this year as the UK prepares to host COP26.

Rethinking Security, it is a network of UK-based organisations, academics and activists. They work for a just and peaceful world, based on approaches that address the underlying causes of conflict and insecurity. They have a shared concern that the current approach to national security in the UK and beyond often hampers efforts for peace, justice and ecological sustainability. They are committed to building a much richer understanding of what security really means, and of what is required to build sustainable security. Rosemary is a volunteer worker and trustee of Women with Hope and also a member of the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network (QARN).

COP26 Coalition Global Gatherings
 
Last year, Quakers in Britain joined the COP26 Coalition. The COP26 Coalition is a civil society coalition made of groups and individuals from a range of constituencies in Scotland and the rest of the UK, including trade unions, direct action networks, climate justice groups, environment and development NGOs, faith groups, students and youth, migrant and racial justice networks.
 
Although COP26 could not take place as planned last November, the COP26 Coalition hosted a 4 day online Global Gathering to mark the date it would have taken place. The programme was packed with workshops led by grassroots groups and organisations from around the world. You can see the programme here (click on ‘Programme timetable’ to see an overview and ‘Programme booklet’ for a description of any session that interests you). You can also catch up on recordings of the sessions on the COP26 Coalition YouTube channel and the COP26 Coalition Facebook page. New recordings are still being added, so check back in future if the one you are looking for has not yet been added!
 
With COP26 rescheduled to November this year, the COP26 Coalition is now organising a second Global Gathering ‘From the Ground Up’ that will take place online from 27-28 March 2021. We will share more details about the gathering next month. You can also sign up to the COP26 Coalition newsletter on their website to be the first to hear more!

A resource you don’t want to miss
 
In case you haven’t seen it yet, our friends at the Quaker United Nations Office (“QUNO”) have developed a new climate resource. The People’s Climate Empowerment Series is written for a wide audience, and is intended as a resource to connect people with international efforts that could help strengthen climate action at home. 

QUNO are also able to provide the beautiful printed copies, in the form of a folder with seven separate briefing papers. Please fill in this form, should you wish to receive printed copies in the post. The Empowerment Series was prepared by former Programme Assistant, Detmer Kremer.  

Ending financing for fossil fuels
 
Since we last wrote, we have joined two letters to the UK government about ending the fossil fuel era. Livvy has spoken to United Christian Broadcasters (“UCB”) News about this previously here and we will be producing a more detailed briefing on it later this year.
 
First, on the 2nd of February we joined forces with representatives of 16 other faith groups to call on the government to immediately ban the use of public money to fund fossil fuel projects overseas. Our joint letter welcomed the leadership shown by the UK Government in its recent announcement that the UK will end financial support for overseas fossil fuel projects. We called for the policy to be implemented comprehensively and as soon as the ongoing consultation about it is complete.
 
Then on the 4th of February, we joined with over 70 charities to write to the Prime Minister about plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria. In our joint letter, we asked the Prime Minister why – in a year the UK is heading the Presidency of UN climate talks (COP26) – the government had not intervened in the approval of the first deep coal mine in the UK in 30 years. We outlined that new jobs need to be created, but in low-carbon technologies, rather than polluting industries of the past. Particularly as concerted action and investment in green industries in the region would provide significantly more than the 500 jobs promised by the new mine.

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