Fossil Free Penn | Penn’s new ‘net-zero’ climate goal is deceptive and ignores years of student activism
(04/19/21 1:08am)
On the climate front, Penn seems to be making big moves: On April 7, the University's administration released an email to the Penn community outlining Penn’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions within the endowment by 2050. Penn is once again acknowledging Fossil Free Penn’s stance that Penn’s investments have climatological consequences — that our endowment has the power to act against the forces that cause climate change instead of funding them. At the surface level, the new commitment looks like serious climate action, but the face of this plan — Penn’s “net-zero endowment” goal — neglects demands from students to divest our endowment from fossil fuels.