Guest essay by Eric Worrall
h/t Dr. Willie Soon; According to “Nobel prize co-winner” Michael Mann and other authors, universities should be ranked and staff should be promoted based on how strongly they support climate action.
Why universities need to declare an ecological and climate emergency
Universities have a responsibility to prepare students for an uncertain future, 11 scholars from around the world argue
September 27, 2019By Jean S. Renouf, Michael E. Mann , John Cook , Christopher Wright , Will Steffen , Patrick Nunn, Pauline Dube, Jean Jouzel , Stephan Lewandowsky, Anne Poelina and Katherine Richardson
Twitter: @Drjsrenouf, @MichaelEMann, @johnfocook, @ChristopherWr11, @PatrickNunn3, @STWorg and @KRichardsonC…
Through the voices of Greta Thunberg, the School Strikes for Climate and the Fridays For Future, youth everywhere are loud and clear in calling for societies to change. Placards at protests around the world read: “Why should anyone study for a future when no one is doing enough to save our future?”; “Climate change is worse than homework”; “If you don’t act like adults, we will”; and “The climate is changing, why aren’t we?”.
Universities have a particular role to play when it comes to acting for the planet. As large institutions, universities’ carbon and environmental footprints are significant, and this alone should be a strong enough incentive to act. But, universities also have the responsibility to be honest with their students and prepare them for a changing climate because whatever jobs they seek after graduation will be fundamentally reshaped by an increasingly variable climate and frequent and unprecedented climate extremes.
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Mainstreaming ecological and climate action across all disciplines. Universities would ensure that all students, regardless of the discipline and level of study, understand specific climate impacts and possible remedial action in their line of work.
This would be reflected in curricula, university rankings, graduate attributes, as well as in staff performance measurements, including those of high executives.
Interdisciplinary teaching and research activities on global environmental challenges, resilience and solutions would be prioritised and invested in. Collective action, community engagement, partnerships, sharing best practices, and open platforms for innovation would be promoted.
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The academics who authored this demand are from the following universities;
| Jean S. Renouf | Southern Cross University |
| Michael E. Mann | Penn State Earth System Science Center |
| John Cook | George Mason University |
| Christopher Wright | University of Sydney |
| Will Steffen | Australian National University |
| Patrick Nunn | University of the Sunshine Coast |
| Pauline Dube | University of Botswana |
| Jean Jouzel | Atomic Energy Commission in France |
| Stephan Lewandowsky | University of Bristol |
| Anne Poelina | University of Notre Dame Australia |
| Katherine Richardson | University of Copenhagen |
It is a little disappointing to see Australia so well represented in a demand that promotion opportunities and university rankings be governed by climate zeal rather than academic excellence.
Perhaps the Peter Ridd case is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the apparent ongoing attack on academic freedom in Australian institutions.
If you have any children or grandchildren considering higher education, I suggest you think very carefully about this before sending your kid to an Australian university, or any of the universities on the list.
