Join the global climate strike to end fossil finance

CLIMATE continued from page 9 traditionally international outlook and an increasing dedication to science and engineering, respond to the most daunting crisis of our lifetime?

On Friday, Tufts Climate Action will be joining Fridays for Future, an international network of youth climate activists, to demand climate justice at Tufts, in Massachusetts and beyond. The international narrative for the March 3 Global Climate Strike is to end fossil finance. This is only possible if educational and governmental institutions prioritize people over profit. We view divestment as the first step towards climate reparations for Indigenous, Black and diverse marginalized communities worldwide. Thus, TCA demands that Tufts:

1. Take a fearless stance on climate and be a climate leader. Prioritize the use of their resources to reduce the university’s impact on the climate and support communities most vulnerable to climate change.

2. Divest from fossil fuels and invest in sustainable causes. Tufts should establish a plan for full divestment with clear benchmarks for accountability.

3. Commit that Tufts University research exists and operates independently of the influence of the fossil fuel industry. Follow the standards established by the international Fossil Free Research campaign.

4. Officially commit to carbon neutrality by 2030. We ask for the transparent commencement of a realistic, comprehensive and actionable carbon neutrality plan that prioritizes carbon neutrality by 2030.

To the Massachusetts legislature and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, TCA demands that they:

1. Commit to 100% carbon-free energy statewide by 2030. Our state is already being affected by the climate crisis and the sooner we achieve zero emissions, the better chance we have to mitigate the effects.

2. No new fossil fuel infrastructure. To build any new fossil fuel infrastructure at this point in time is to invest in technologies that are actively destroying our planet and must be shut down within a few years at most to mitigate their effects on the climate.

The full list of demands can be found in the bio of our Instagram page, @tuftsclimateaction.

Tufts Climate Action would like to invite all to join the rallies on the Hill and in Boston in our collective struggle for climate justice. If we don’t want to wait another decade for further inaction from the powers that be, we must use our privilege as Tufts students to make our demands heard. In addition to speeches, there will be musical performances, chanting and singing and marching at the rallies. It’ll be a blast.

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