IU student Bronson Bast has created an online petition calling for IU President Michael McRobbie to sign the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
Nearly 700 college or university presidents have already signed the commitment, according to the ACUPCC website. These college and university presidents have promised that their college or university will complete an emissions inventory, take immediate steps to reduce emissions, set a target date for becoming climate neutral, integrate sustainability into the education experience and make the inventory, steps and plans available to the public, according to the ACUPCC website.
“Signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment is much less about signing a piece of paper and much more about creating and implementing a climate action plan for Indiana University,” Bast said.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the increase in temperature must be limited to two degrees Celsius to avoid catastrophic and irreversible damage by 2100.
“Warming exceeding this amount is seen as a tipping point,” Bast said. “It would be much more likely to trigger positive feedback loops, further accelerating warming.”
Bast created a petition titled, “Petitioning President of Indiana University Michael McRobbie act on climate by signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment” onchange.org. So far, 88 people have signed the petition.
“Indiana University is home to some of the best environmental programs in the nation,” Bast said. “It’s not only a shame that we aren’t leading the charge to mitigate climate change, but that we don’t even have a plan to do so at all. We have a moral obligation to do what we can to prevent the unnecessary human suffering worldwide that is inevitable as a consequence of unchecked climate change.”
The IU-Bloomington Campus Master Plan, released March 2010, proposes greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 30 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. Bast said such greenhouse gas emissions reductions are consistent with the goals of the ACUPCC.
Furthermore, the IU Bicentennial Strategic Plan, approved December 2014, introduced a core value of “sustainability, stewardship and accountability for the natural, human and economic resources and relationships entrusted to IU.”
“Signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment is the next logical step for Indiana University to take in terms of making plans to reduce our emissions,” Bast said.
The Residence Halls Association, Graduate and Professional Student Government and Student Sustainability Council have already expressed their support of President McRobbie signing the ACUPCC.
Bast said the IU Student Association congressional sessions ended before the organization could express its support last year, adding that the group will likely express its support this year.
“I think it’s important for Indiana University to be a leader in climate action,” Bast said. “Joining the community of universities and colleges that have signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment affords Indiana University the opportunity to share knowledge and best practices with that community.”
