We recognise the valuable contribution that workers in Kingsnorth make to powering this country, and we recognise the essential role that workers such as yourselves will have in the fight to prevent a climate disaster.

The Crisis
160,000 of the worlds most vulnerable people are dying every year because of droughts and famines
brought on by human-caused global warming. Soon enough, these problems will effect all of us, with rising sea levels, water scarcity, and insecure food supplies. It will even impact those of us working in high emissions industries such as power generation, since the bosses will show as little regard for our wages and working conditions as they do for the planet when they are faced with a choice between their profits and our welfare.

For Workers Control
It will be the workers, not the bosses who are hit the hardest by the effects of climate change. And it is the workers who will be expected to pay for the disastrous effects through lower wages, worse conditions, higher prices, and regressive taxation. Organised labour is also in the best position to prevent a climate disaster. We have the power to take control of our workplaces, to strike, and to halt production. We have the potential to control and limit carbon emissions through collective action, and the power to force the Government to implement the green technology that we desperately
need. Without the collective action of organised labour, we will be unlikely to make the changes to our
economy we need, before it is too late.

For a Just Transition
We must move our economy away from fossil fuels – but we must do it in a fair and just way. That is why we are working for a programme of Just Transition. This means that changes in employment and activity should be fair and not cost workers or communities their health, wealth or assets. Those affected by these changes will take a leading role in creating new policies and solutions. It will mean that the cost of those changes will fall on those who can afford it, not on those who cant.

Why CCS is not the solution: Carbon capture technology will come too late to save our climate. While plans for demonstration facilities are under way, there are still unresolved CO2 storage issues. Most worryingly it is believed that the earliest CCS might become feasible for commercial scale use is 2030, and this will be too late to avoid catastrophic climate change (IPCC special report on CCS). This is why we are taking radical action now.

Carbon Capture Ready?
Kingsnorth, and the 7 other planned coal-fired power plants will be 'carbon capture ready', which means that the technology might be implemented if it becomes viable in the future. With no guarantee that CCS will be available, these 8 plants will emit a huge amount of CO2, and as such their construction needs to be opposed.

Why we need renewable and decentralised energy
Modern renewables are alternative solutions that exist right now that can deliver green-jobs, healthier lives, and energy-security. For example, a decentralised Combined Heat and Power plant takes only a year to build and can run off UK coal and gas as a transitional fuel, while we build our sustainable and post-industrial biomass and biogas capacity. When integrated into district heating programmes, they provide efficient, affordable energy and heating. This would be coupled with systematic investment in large scale wind farms, solar, tidal, and wave energy; measures to reduce demand and verconsumption, including more efficient appliances, and insulation. If we implemented changes like these, we would not need any new large-scale coal power stations.

The Day of Action, August 9th
Large numbers of people will try to shut your workplace down on the 10th of August. We are sending a message to the bosses and politicians who are acting too slowly to stop a catastrophe that we can stop from happening if we act now. Climate chaos is such an important issue, that radical measures need to happen.

Invitation to the Camp
Don't believe what the media and the bosses are telling you about the camp, come and find out for yourself. There will be lots of people from all backgrounds attending, and there are lots of discussions and workshops on a variety of social, environmental and practical issues. There are Workers Climate Action workshops, which is an opportunity to be part of how transistion will happen. You should feel
welcome to come to the camp to visit, you will get a warm welcome if you do.

PDF version to print:
 http://workersclimateaction.co.uk/system/files/WCA_kingsnorth_outreach_2.pdf