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Campus Climate Activists Build on Momentum of UC Climate March at First Friday Meeting

Join us Friday, October 4, from 4–6pm at the Natural Sciences Building Auditorium for the First Friday meeting to organize and plan further actions and campaigns to advance the UCSD Green New Deal!

Through the 9/27 Climate Action March, the UCSD Green New Deal’s message is getting out! Take a look at the coverage and how we are working to spread the message that UCSD needs to take on the climate crisis with all of its resources and be a leader for showing how a community can come together to combat this crisis—and how that’s already getting the attention of university leadership.

Then join us Friday, October 4, at the Natural Science Building Auditorium, for the First Friday meeting to keep up the pressure!

CBS8: “UC San Diego join students across the globe in 2nd wave of protests on climate change”

“The UC San Diego Green New Deal movement  joined hundreds of thousands of students and faculty across the globe Friday for a second wave of worldwide protests demanding swift action on climate change.

UC San Diego along with the University of California system has joined forces with more than 7,000 colleges and universities around the globe to declare a climate emergency and commit to urgent action to address the crisis. UC President Janet Napolitano and all 10 UC chancellors have signed a climate emergency declaration letter that recognizes “the need for a drastic societal shift to combat the growing threat of climate change.”

NBC7: “San Diego Students Rally for Climate Action in Second Round of Global Protests” and video here

“One of the largest strikes in San Diego was held at the University of California San Diego, where dozens of students marched in response to a stark report released this week by the Intergovernmental Plan on Climate Change (IPCC) on the impact of global warming on our oceans.

The students aim to launch UCSD’s own “Green New Deal,” with goals for the university to meet its carbon neutrality goals by 2025, divest from all fossil fuels, and to teach students how to become climate leaders.

“We are facing escalating catastrophes,” said organizers of the UCSD Climate Action March in a joint statement. “We are marching to demand that UCSD be a leader in teaching all its students about the climate crisis.”

Fox5: “UC San Diego students rally for climate action”

“They’ve made this commitment but now they actually have to get there and they only have five years. So we want to put pressure on them to actually identify real goals each year that they’re going to accomplish,” UC San Diego staff member Kina Thackray told FOX 5.

In response to the gathering, UC San Diego released a statement that said the university was in the process of establishing a climate action plan in coordination with other UC schools.”

The Triton: “UCSD Community Marches for Climate Action”

““This will be the biggest battle we’ll be fighting,” said Dr. Ramanathan. “That’s why I’m calling you climate warriors.”

Yuval Baharav, a fourth-year Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience major who helped organize the march, said that the university should take action immediately rather than rely solely on students to bring about change. 

“You have the responsibility to be changemakers, not just us. You asked for student input, and now here we are,” Baharav said, directly addressing the university. “Be the leaders you claim to be.”

The Guardian: “UCSD Climate Action March begins at Geisel Library”

“The UCSD Green New Deal calls upon the university to better teach students about climate change, to create a specific plan to reach carbon neutrality–when carbon dioxide emissions are  offset with an equal amount of CO2 removal–by 2025, and to call upon the University of California system to create a UC-wide Green New Deal.”

The Triton: “UCSD CLIMATE STRIKE ACTIVIST PETER SLOAN ON WHY THE UC NEEDS A GREEN NEW DEAL”

“If a green new deal is a total economic and social transformation to rapidly decarbonize our energy system and our transportation system and our food system, then it is not going to be something that the federal government can do on its own through legislation. 

It is something that really every institution and individual has to take ownership of, similar to what happened with the original New Deal. We’re kicking it off with this march, but we are going to continue to be working on this for the coming year and for years to come. 

…

What we’ve been told is that when the administration sees that there is a sustained energy around an issue coming from the grassroots level within the campus community, then that can actually be effective at changing institutional priorities.”

The UCSD Green New Deal movement is organizing a community of students, staff, and faculty to press the university to be a leader in addressing the climate crisis—and we’re looking for YOU to join us and help shape a series of campaigns to make it happen.

The first action is the:

UCSD CLIMATE ACTION MARCH

September 27th, 2019

11AM MARCH: STARTS FROM SILENT TREE/GEISEL LIBRARY.
12PM RALLY: AT THE TRITON STATUE/LOFT STEPS.

“Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people, to give them hope, but I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is.”
—Greta Thunberg

On September 27th, we will be walking out of our workplaces and homes to demand action on the climate crisis. Join us at UC San Diego!

We are advocating for UC San Diego to:
1) Teach your students about climate change and climate justice
2) Specify and meet carbon neutral goals by 2025
3) Build a UC-wide Green New Deal

TLDR: The world isn’t waiting. Neither are we.
September 27th.
March for Climate Action.

Sign up for the march on Eventbrite or Facebook, share the invitation with at least ten of your UC San Diego-affiliated friends, and contact us if you have questions or want to get involved on a deeper level!

Following the Climate Action March, the first meeting of the UCSD Green New Deal movement is October 4th (and will continue to meet the first Friday of every month, in addition to direct actions and other efforts). Sign up for our email list or follow us on social media to stay up to date and get involved!