Environmental and tax justice groups have joined the Fire Brigades Union in calling for major investment in the fire and rescue service.
In a letter to the Chancellor and Environment Secretary Ed Miliband, organisations including Greenpeace, Tax Justice UK, Friends of the Earth, Tipping Point UK and Global Justice Now warned the government that "the UK is dangerously under-prepared for the growing threat of wildfires, flooding, and the wider impacts of the climate crisis."
The organisations are backing the FBU’s calls for:
Significant new central government funding for the fire and rescue service, to ensure sufficient firefighters, emergency fire control staff and specialist resources to meet wildfire and flooding risks.
A statutory duty for fire services in England to respond to flooding, consistent with the arrangements that already exist in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
- A UK-wide wildfire resilience strategy, developed with the Fire Brigades Union and other stakeholders, ensuring consistent standards for planning, training, and response.
Throughout November the thirtieth United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) was held in Belém, Brazil, near the Amazon rainforest.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Lula, president of Brazil, said that the world needs “roadmaps that will enable humankind, in a fair and planned manner, to overcome its dependence on fossil fuels”.
Greenhouse gas levels need to drop by 43% by 2030 to keep the world's temperature increase under 1.5C.
After weeks of talks, the conference’s final agreement contained no roadmap and excludes direct mention of fossil fuels. Research by campaign group ‘Kick Big Polluters Out’ found that 1 in every 25 participants at the summit was a fossil fuel lobbyist.
But on the final day of COP30, the governments of Columbia and the Netherlands announced that they will co-host a landmark international conference to plan a “just transition” away from fossil fuels in April 2026.
The FBU has endorsed the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, pushing for international cooperation to end new development of fossil fuels, phase out existing production, and develop plans to support workers, communities and countries dependent on fossil fuels to create alternative secure and healthy livelihoods.
Steve Wright, FBU general secretary said: “Firefighters are on the frontline of the climate crisis, battling increasingly extreme wildfires and flooding, and we have seen first-hand how catastrophic climate change devastates communities.
“It is only through a united international strategy to phase out fossil fuels that we can prevent further harm and protect people everywhere.”
