ABOLISH ABOLISH ECOVERSIT Y ECOVERSIT Y “If we do not halt our emissions soon, our future climate could well become some kind of hell on earth.” Words by Tom Wood These are the words of the esteemed Oxford University climate scientist Professor Tim Palmer. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report confirms that we are facing a climate catastrophe. On current estimates, if nothing changes, we face temperature rises above 1.5 degrees Celsius. It is urgent, therefore, that swift action is taken to reduce carbon emissions. Despite this damning evidence, our university has decided that it makes sense to maintain strong ties with fossil fuels companies. One of these companies is Santos, a major oil and gas producer. Shamefully, the University’s website defends Santos as ‘a leading supplier of natural gas, a fuel for the future providing cleaner energy to improve the lives of people in Australia and Asia.’ This is literally just parroting the talking points of the fossil fuels lobby. But what morewould be expect from the same university that hosts the Santos School of Petroleum Engineering? The university also has direct and indirect financial investments in fossil fuels. There are direct investments in the university’s endowment fund. However, most of its investments are with external fund managers. What matters is that these external fund managers do invest in fossil fuels. This means that the university is still financing dirty industries without our approval. Despite these deep ties with the fossil fuels, the university still has the nerve to celebrate Ecoversity, the university’s sustainability engagement program. Ecoversity’s website explains that its ‘activities, campaigns and events are geared towards developing a campus culture that values and applies sustainable practices’. In fairness, the university has made some achievements. For
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