Day of action: Corporate Courts vs The Climate
When: September 18, 2021
Campaigns: Climate, Trade
Corporate courts are an obstacle to a clean energy transition and to achieving climate justice.
Join us on Saturday 18 September for a day of action to help expose the links between corporate courts, dirty fossil fuel giants and climate action.
Make sure you’re signed up to our email list to get more details closer to the date.
What’s the plan?
We are calling out to people across the country to take action on Saturday 18 September to stop corporate courts blocking climate action.
We’ve put together a list of locations linked to corporations that are bringing corporate court cases linked to climate – or to the law firms who are bringing the cases for them. They range from power stations run by Uniper, to Shell and Texaco garages.
Ideas for action include:
- Protest at a related site
- Campaign stall in the high street
- Projection at a local site
There’s more detail on these ideas (and if you have more inspiration, do get in touch at [email protected]), and a template press release to help get media coverage for whatever you’re doing, coming soon.
At the end of the afternoon, join us and War on Want for an online webinar to hear from communities around the world fighting corporate courts and their threat to the climate. We’ll be hearing from speakers from Bolivia, Argentina and Italy – register to book your space.
In London, we will be doing a stunt the morning before the main day of action, on Friday 17 Sept. It around some of the law firms in the City of London who are involved in climate related corporate court cases – if you’re in the area, do come along.
What are we calling for?
We’re calling for the UK to exit the Energy Charter Treaty before COP26. The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is a giant corporate court deal between over 50 countries specifically for energy companies. We’re campaigning along with allies all across Europe, together calling on our own governments to exit the ECT.
We’re also calling for the UK to drop corporate courts in the current UK-Canada trade talks and to stop joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) which has corporate courts. We want the UK to get rid of this unjust system completely in its trade deals.
Corporate courts were originally created, half a century ago by the lawyers at fossil fuel companies to protect corporate interests, and they’re being used by fossil fuel companies now to undermine climate action. We’re taking action outside fossil fuel companies involved in corporate court cases linked to climate change, and their law firms, to expose their complicity and highlight why the government needs to take action.
For more background, see our Climate Injustice briefing and new Corporate Courts vs The Climate briefing.
How to get involved
If you’re already part of a local group, have a discussion about what you might be able to do locally. We’d love to hear your plans – let our activism team know, at [email protected] . And if you’re not part of a local group, our activism team can help connect you.
Resources
We’ve got some A2 size placards (image right) which we’re happy to send out to you. They should work whether you’re organising a protest, a street stall or a stunt. Email [email protected] to order some, or for help with planning your activity.
We can also send you printed copies of the following:
- Petition action cards: Don’t let corporate courts block climate action (view pdf sample)
- Climate and trade A5 leaflet (pdf)
- Climate injustice, four-page briefing (pdf)
Again, email [email protected] to order copies.
