The Associated Students of Madison chose to stand on the right side of history by passing a resolution in support of fossil fuel divestment March 26.
ASM, our student government, voted overwhelmingly (18-6) to ask that the university divest from fossil fuels. As Rep. Andy Stoiber stated, “This resolution says that the students of this university do not support gambling on planet Earth’s resources.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that 80 percent of the known oil, gas and coal reserves that fossil fuel companies plan to extract must stay in the ground to avoid two-degree Celsius warming — the tipping point for spiraling into climate disaster.
Internationally, the fossil fuel divestment movement has spread to more than 380 colleges and universities. The movement has been characterized by an Oxford University study as “the fastest growing divestment movement in history.” The threat of global climate devastation due to catastrophic warming of the planet is unparalleled. Several studies estimate that by 2050 there will be as many as 200 million environmental refugees displaced to other countries by rising sea levels, droughts, floods, wildfires and extreme weather events.
The fossil fuel divestment movement aims to draw attention to the dangers of climate change and take away fossil fuel companies’ social license to operate. As Rep. David Vines noted, “The goal (of divestment) is to spark a wider conversation and a wider movement.” Divestment campaigns across the country draw inspiration from the successful campaigns to divest from South African apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s. At UW-Madison, we have a rich tradition of standing on the right side of history. Our university was the second in the country to divest from South African companies in 1978.
Today, we have the opportunity to continue that tradition. Our university’s mission states: “The primary purpose of the University of Wisconsin-Madison is to provide a learning environment in which faculty, staff and students can discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that will help ensure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all.” Divestment from fossil fuels aligns perfectly with the idea that we must “ensure the survival of this and future generations.” If it is morally reprehensible to destroy the environment, it is morally reprehensible to profit from that destruction.
I am a part of the Fossil Free UW Coalition and I am proud that ASM has taken a strong stance on this issue. We must continue to push for the UW Foundation to divest its holdings from fossil fuel companies over the next five years. To get involved in our coalition, as an individual or student org, please feel free to send me an email. Our next meeting is Monday, April 7, at 5:30 p.m. in Humanities Room 2631. We look forward to working with as many students and faculty on campus as possible.
Joe Evica ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in sociology and the co-chair of Fossil Free UW Coalition.
