Cornell on Fire Weekly 6/5: Earthside
Dear Cornell on Fire,
The evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable: we are in the middle of a climate catastrophe. The Climate Defiance movement has been calling on people to “drop everything” and act. Why don’t we?
Our reasons differ. Some of us have fallen prey to climate denialist propaganda and believe everything is fine. Some of us have been overwhelmed by the enormity of the crisis, come to see it as unstoppable, and given up hope. Some of us perceive climate change as too painful a topic and would rather not think about it at all. Some of us value our elite perks so much as to acquiesce to the politicians, corporate leaders, and university administrators sticking to the “business as usual” model for as long as privileges and profits can be preserved. And some of us are those politicians, corporate leaders, and university administrators.
We know well what question to ask ourselves in every case where many people’s livelihoods, or lives, are pitched against a few other people’s privileges and profits: Which side are you on? In the case of the climate crisis too, there are two sides: the side of those who care about life on earth and the side of those who behave as if they don’t. Do you care?
It doesn’t matter what, if anything, you have been doing about the climate crisis until now: this is the time to be together on our side, your side, the only living side: earthside. Together, we have immense power to help Cornell lead by example in the transition we all desperately need.
● Before midnight tonight: Sign the local letter to Democratic Speaker Heastie urging him to take action on NY State climate policy before the close of session on Saturday!
● Sign our demands, with the headline demand that Cornell Declare a Climate Emergency.
● Continue to share the Zero Waste Ithaca petition against Cornell’s plan to install artificial turf at the proposed Meinig Athletic Field House and beyond.
● Join our CoF Zoom meeting Wednesday, June 12, 6:30-8:00pm over this permanent link.
● Join a research project to help Cornell realize its climate goals (can be done from anywhere).
It’s good to be alive, and in a position to drop everything.
Earthside,
Cornell on Fire
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Plurivocality: CoF Weeklies are written by a revolving team of writers. Our movement is diverse, so are our thoughts, and so will be our Weeklies. If you receive a CoF Weekly that you think is wrong headed, can we still walk together? (We, like you, sometimes write things we later laugh at!)
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