SCSU President Joe Bertolino today signed a climate emergency declaration by college and university presidents in advance of the the U.N. Climate Action Summit on September 23 in New York City. Southern is a very early signatory.
Networks and institutions have been invited to add their support to this letter, which aims to raise concern for the climate emergency. The letter will be shared with key government officials and the media in advance of this summit. Ideally, presidents or chancellors of invited institutions will sign on to this letter on behalf of the institution. However, if an institution has already committed to the outlined actions, any faculty or staff member of the institution can sign on to reiterate its pre-existing commitment. The deadline for signing on to this letter is August 1, 2019.
The text of the letter is as follows:
As institutions and networks of higher and further education from across the world, we collectively declare a Climate Emergency in recognition of the need for a drastic societal shift to combat the growing threat of climate change.
The young minds that are shaped by our institutions must be equipped with the knowledge, skills and capability to respond to the ever-growing challenges of climate change. We all need to work together to nurture a habitable planet for future generations and to play our part in building a greener and cleaner future for all.
We are today committing to collectively step up to the challenge by supporting a three-point plan which includes:
- Mobilizing more resources for action-oriented climate change research and skills creation;
- Committing to going carbon neutral by 2030 or 2050 at the very latest;
- Increasing the delivery of environmental and sustainability education across curriculum, campus and community outreach programmes.
We call on governments and other education institutions to join us in declaring a Climate Emergency and back this up with actions that will help create a better future for both people and our planet.
Read more and see the list of institutions that have signed the letter.
