Tackling climate change can’t wait until a more convenient time – there’s too much at stake for our members, their jobs, their families and the communities we all live in – we have to act now.
That’s why UNISON is announcing that 2026 will be the Year of Green Activity.
UNISON members – in all their different roles across local government, the health service, community, police, fire & rescue, education, housing, environmental protection and others – have to deal with the additional burdens of climate change. Burdens like pollution, extreme weather, floods or cold homes.
And we are all also increasingly affected by the financial burdens of global economic shocks that climate change causes to food and energy supplies.
So today, ahead of the Climate Change Committee’s publication of the seventh ‘Carbon Budget’ tomorrow, we’re making it clear that climate change is an issue we cannot afford to ignore.
As a result, I’m incredibly proud to announce that 2026 has been agreed as UNISON’s Year of Green Activity.
Led by our members
We know our members are with us on this. At our 2022 and 2024 national delegate conference, members voted unanimously for us to step up our activity in this area both politically and in supporting our branches locally to get involved.
It’s hard to believe it’s only been three years since the post of branch environment officer was introduced to our rule-book but this focus has been a long time coming.
As the UK’s largest trade union, and an exclusively public service union, we know we have a significant role to play in addressing this crisis. Its impacts are already evident across our society, as ever disproportionately affecting the most disadvantaged, and we must be ready to make the changes required to mitigate, address and adapt.
We should all be proud that UNISON has been the leading union on climate change since it was founded. From submitting a report on the original Kyoto agreement in 1997 and being a founding member of the Trade Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee (TUSDAC) to attending 5 of the last global climate summits (COP) – our engagement has never stopped.
Our Green UNISON campaign is the only campaign that was designed to be continuous and, since September 2020, the annual Green UNISON week of activity has brought more attention and focus to how the union can make a difference in public service workplaces and the wider world.
But now we wanted to give an extra push to raise awareness of our work in this area, to support and encourage your engagement at any and every level of activity and to recognise that everything we do in this area makes a difference. So, in 2026 Green UNISON is going big!
How to get involved
We know that UNISON members believe in the vital role of public services in protecting our communities and are committed to delivering a good quality of life to all without compromising the future.
But we also know that your voices need to be at the table when issues are discussed – whether it be about necessary workplace and service transformations, or about workloads and workspaces being affected by extreme weather, or about ensuring that the transition to greener workplaces is fair and leaves no-one behind.
Our branches and our members have a huge role to play on climate change action in the UK and I want to encourage you all to get involved.
Everything you do can help – from organising awareness events or local green activities, to engaging in local community projects. You could also consider becoming a local green rep or explore taking on the branch environment officer role yourself (training and support is provided).
So, join me in supporting branches, look for ways to get involved, and keep an eye out for updates throughout this year. And in the meantime, you can head over to our Green UNISON webpages to see materials and resources you can start using now to prepare.
The article Opinion: Announcing the Year of Green Activity – 2026 first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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