Student activists from the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University wrote a compelling piece in Teen Vogue today (Fossil Fuel Divestment Day) that bears our attention. The piece is subtitled, “This op-ed explains why fossil fuel divestment is a crucial tactic in the fight for climate justice.”
… Fossil fuel divestment is a crucial tactic in our fight for climate justice. Climate justice is centering justice in climate solutions. In short, it means that we must fundamentally shift the way we interact with each other and all living beings on the planet to avoid climate catastrophe. This perspective names capitalism as the root cause of the climate crisis. Our movement believes that a better world is possible, but only if we make a just transition from an extractive economy to a regenerative one. The climate crisis is already here and already causing grave harm to low-income communities and indigenous communities, and especially to those living in the Global South. While we are fighting to hold our institutions of higher learning accountable to students, we are also fighting in solidarity with the larger movement for collective liberation. Collective liberation refers to the concept that all movements for justice must win in order for liberation to be truly achieved. As Aboriginal activists have said, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”…
ANAÏS PETERSON, GRETA KVITTEM, AND ELIZABETH LOVE
Read the full article on Teen Vogue‘s website …