Cornell on Fire Weekly 3/6/24

Dear all,

Cornell on Fire met with the Carbon Neutral Campus Committee yesterday. We asked them to demonstrate radical climate leadership by committing to a 1.5 degree pathway and leading with insights from climate justice communities. Rich nations and institutions are failing our collective climate goals, but as we laid out in our presentation, Cornell can "be the first" to commit to a radically sound plan of action with concrete steps.

It was inspiring to see the commitment of many individuals within the Committee, but disappointing to see how decision making remains confined to the status quo. We can't help but feel that leadership's arguments for incremental change will ring hollow to future generations who must endure the consequences -- and to Cornell's students right now, who are overwhelmingly concerned about the climate and ecological crisis.

Nonetheless, we continue to be inspired by the science that guides us on the urgency of this matter. Of course this isn't ultimately about "being the first." It is about doing the right thing on behalf of life and everything we love -- and acting as if we believed our climate scientists, who point out there is no research on a dead planet. Cornell won't solve the climate crisis on its own, but Cornell's leadership would have a major ripple effect across the university sector and society.

We don't have to wait for Cornell's Administration to have a ripple effect. We can start now. Join us on Ho Plaza this Friday from 11a-12:30p for letter-writing and movement filming. (No weekly meeting this week -- we're holding a movement training instead.)

Last but not least, we were honored to be featured in two local radio shows! (Check out our news and media updates here.)

Sincerely,

Cornell on Fire