Fighting energy injustice at home
Date: 29 October 2014
As part of the new phase of our climate and energy justice campaign, we’re looking at ways to make the links with struggles against corporate control of energy at home. Earlier this week, we attended the launch of Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy Bill of Rights in parliament.
As part of the new phase of our climate and energy justice campaign, we’re looking at ways to make the links with struggles against corporate control of energy at home. So a few months ago we linked up with Fuel Poverty Action, a grassroots campaign taking action against mammoth fuel bills and working towards an affordable, sustainable and democratic energy system in the UK.
Since the summer, WDM local groups have been encouraging local people and community groups like Transition Towns to sign up to Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy Bill of Rights, which sets out demands for a clean and fair energy system. Earlier this week, we attended the launch of the Energy Bill of Rights in parliament.
In a packed room, we heard from a truly diverse range of groups and individuals about their support for these rights. From Disabled People Against Cuts, Single Mothers’ Self Defence and Hackney Energy Co-op to the All African Women’s Group, Biofuel Watch and trade union PCS via the Greater London Pensioner’s Association and Quaker Peace and Social Witness, there was a shared opposition to the profiteering of the Big Six energy companies that make billions in profits while thousands freeze in their homes – the epitome of energy injustice.
WDM also had an opportunity to voice our support, and share a statement of solidarity from Lidy Nacpil from Jubilee South Asia Pacific Region on Debt and Development, a longer standing ally of WDM:
“As a social movement of people across the Asia and pacific people, we support Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy Bill of Rights. Access to affordable energy that is in the hands of the people and produced without pushing the world towards climate chaos is a right for all people. This is the case wherever you are from, be that people freezing in their homes in the UK or children unable to light their schools in Bangladesh. Corporate controlled energy systems will never enable people to access their energy needs.”
As we develop the new phase of our climate and energy justice campaign over the next few months, we will be showing how people around the world are fighting back against the failures of privatised energy systems and finding ways of taking back control for themselves. We want to help build a strong movement for energy justice in the UK and globally, and Fuel Poverty Action’s event this week has shown us a great way to get started!
Read the Energy Bill of Rights and find out about ways of supporting it here.