Students to host protest calling on Princeton University to divest from fossil fuel industry
A group of Princeton University and Princeton High School students will host a sit-in on Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in front of Nassau Hall on the university campus to call on the school to divest from all segments of the fossil fuel industry.
This strike corresponds with climate action protests taking place across the globe. The event will include speakers, poets, chants, songs, and more.
In May, the Princeton University Board of Trustees announced that the school will divest and disassociate from the thermal coal and tar sands segments of the fossil fuel industry, as well as companies involved in climate disinformation.
More than 2,500 people have signed a petition spearheaded by the group Divest Princeton calling on the university to divest from the fossil fuel industry. Students leading the rally are advocating for a complete split of ties to the fossil fuel industry.
“The students in Princeton Climate Strikes stand in solidarity with youth internationally in calling for an absolute commitment to fight climate change on Princeton University’s end. With thousands of companies and educational institutions divesting from fossil fuels at an exponential rate, there is little justification for Princeton to fight against a change in the systems that empower individuals fighting equity and justice,” the leaders of Divest Princeton said in a written statement. “The climate crisis threatens their past and future students and stands against the university’s motto of ‘in the nation’s service and the service of humanity.’ Even if President Eisgruber will not advocate for the livelihoods of his students, we will continue to fight for climate action.”
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
The fossil fuel industry continues to make money because WE continue to use the product (gasoline, jet fuel, power generation). If you want to affect change, eliminate the demand for the products produced by the industry. The students would be more effective if they pressured the University to replace all its ICE vehicles with transit buses with EVs and source all its electricity and heating from renewable sources.
This event is “feel good” posturing.
To quote an article from a few years ago.
“… to be clear, it’s the consumers that actually burn and demand the fossil fuels that these companies provide. The companies may have some responsibility for their product — for lobbying in favor of the carbon economy, and for getting subsidies and arguing for subsidies — but some responsibility ought to fall on individuals, households, and corporations. What the companies do is produce the fuels, extract and market the fuels, so that we can use them. It’s the consumers that produce the carbon dioxide: They may be corporations, airlines, shipping lines, households, utilities. It’s all distributed.”
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/12/17967738/climate-change-consumer-choices-green-renewable-energy