Environment

President Stephens announces new ‘climate action commitments’

President Stephens announces new ‘climate action commitments’

In an email shared with the Mount Holyoke community on Oct. 18, President Sonya Stephens announced several plans to increase progress towards the College’s sustainability goals. The letter featured updates to the goals previously outlined in the College’s Sustainability Task Report in 2018, while also introducing new commitments. Stephens discussed the College’s plan to “eliminate holdings in fossil fuel investment funds” in the next 10 years, a commitment that was announced by the Board of Trustees in March, adding that no new investments in fossil fuels have been made since 2017.

White House Replaces Lead Climate Change Expert

The executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, Dr. Michael Kuperberg, was removed as lead scientist for the National Climate Assessment on Nov. 9 and is expected to be replaced by David Legates, a longtime supporter and advocate for climate change denial groups. The decision came directly from the Trump administration and follows four years of policy decisions that increased environmental degradation and reined in large-scale federal initiatives necessary to adequately address climate change. Nearly 100 environmental and climate change policies have been rolled back under the administration.

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Impacts of COVID-19 on Science and Global Climate Action

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During peak lockdown in early April of this year, carbon or CO2 emissions dropped worldwide by 17 percent as compared to 2019. Current CO2 emission levels are nearly equivalent to those measured in 2006, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. However, researchers emphasize that this decrease may not be sustained, as CO2 emissions will likely only drop by about 4-7 percent depending on the trajectory of the pandemic.

In the wake of COVID-19 , some countries have already made decisions to move toward a greener future. The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, put forth a $572 billion economic recovery plan with the goal for the EU to be climate-neutral by 2050. South Korea has also introduced the Korean New Deal, which puts a $135 billion investment in green and digital technology. President Xi Jinping announced recently that China will aim for carbon neutrality by 2060 and plans to peak its carbon emissions by 2030. China is currently the world’s biggest emitter of carbon and the largest energy financier with the biggest market. These moves from China, the EU and others put pressure on other countries to follow.

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Board of Trustees meet after student protests

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From Feb. 27 to Feb. 29, the Mount Holyoke College Board of Trustees met in New York City for their annual spring Board meeting. Following this meeting, the Trustees scheduled a phone call for March 2 between the Mount Holyoke Climate Justice Coalition (CJC) and the majority of the Board’s Investment Committee (IC) to discuss Mount Holyoke’s current investments in the fossil fuel industry.

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Extinction Rebellion joins Sunrise Movement in demonstration

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Extinction Rebellion joins Sunrise Movement in demonstration

Students and members of the surrounding community gathered with signs and songs on Sunday afternoon to raise awareness about the climate crisis. The group of about 15, stood on the green across from Chapin Auditorium holding signs which encouraged climate activism, shamed oil companies and promoted campus divestment. The signs included a massive banner, which read, “GREEN NEW DEAL.”

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Students pilot residential hall compost program

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Behind the Talcott Greenhouse, by the community garden, stands a blue barrel mounted on wooden posts. This contraption is the new compost tumbler piloted by students from Visiting Professor of Environmental Studies Jennifer Albertine’s class: Environmental Entrepreneurship Campus Sustainability.

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