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Fri day May 9 2014 F O RG E P RESS
COMMENT
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Fossil fuels: the burning question
Alex Stockham
Fossil Free campaign
Our environment is being transformed. The atmosphere is polluted by carbon; causing temperatures to rise, the cryosphere to melt and the oceans to expand. We have disturbed the equilibrium of our planet but it’s not just us who are responsible. In the relentless pursuit of growth, the fossil fuel industry has led us to an unsustainable future. We rely on their resources to power our lives but they possess far more than we can safely burn. Five times more to be precise.
Alex Stockham
“Universities have a combined investment of £5.2 billion in fossil fuels”
Alex Stockham explains why the Fossil Free divestment campaign at the University of Sheffield is so important Photo: Z. Peckler
It all comes down to some simple figures. Temperatures have increased by 0.85 degrees since 1880. Scientists estimate that we can still emit 565 gigatonnes of CO2 and limit warming to two degrees. But, if we burn the oil and coal currently locked up in reserves, 2,795 gigatonnes of CO2 will be released. Fossil fuel organisations have no plans to stop. In fact, they want to expand their stockpiles. Now that enough ice has
retreated, they’re moving in to exploit the Arctic oil fields. We all support this industry and its activities. It’s inescapable. We are powered by electricity; energy generated by the combustion of fossilized plants from the Earth’s mantle. That in itself is a shame. But what’s even worse is the financial support of the industry our universities provide. It’s estimated that in the UK, universities have a combined investment of £5.2 billion in fossil fuels. Not only does this fund the enterprise, it allows it to proceed with a stamp of academic approval. Although it is public knowledge that the University is engaged in partnerships with companies like Shell and UK Coal Mining, the monetary value of these remain private. What we do know is that these connections play out through three avenues: investments of the University’s savings, research funding, and industrial partnerships. The time for action is now. Across Europe and the United States, a movement is taking hold. Here in Sheffield, students from the People and Planet society are leading the Fossil Free campaign. They are lobbying the University to publish and review its links to fossil fuel companies, with the ultimate aim of divestment. History proves divestment a powerful tool. It contributed to the end of apartheid in South
Africa and reformed the way universities deal with sweatshops and tobacco companies. Although the financial impacts may be minimal, the message will be clear. Society holds universities in high esteem; their collective voice will be heard. Condemning the activities of fossil fuel companies through divestment would reverberate through public discourse, into the minds and actions of the people.
“Although the financial impacts may be minimal, the message will be clear” The Fossil Free Sheffield campaign is gathering momentum. Its petition has already received over 300 signatures, and in the next few weeks a motion will be taken to the Students’ Union Council to add the largest 200 fossil fuel companies to their blacklist. The next challenge is our institution. With the support of the Students’ Union, Fossil Free Sheffield will navigate the University’s bureaucracy to begin negotiations with its financial managers. The future of our successors will be shaped by our actions. Keep your eyes and ears open, and support the cause with your name.
Anti-UKIP activists should say it, not spray it Mollie Carberry I think it’s safe to say that Ukip’s policies generally do not sit comfortably with the vast majority of the British public. It’s not a new, refreshing or eyeopening realisation when Ukip are branded by a certain senior politician as “closet racists and fruit cakes”. But tearing down posters, spray-painting ‘Fuck Off U Prick’ on billboards (yes, that really happened) and disrupting meetings? Has everyone suddenly
become 12 years old? If you think that vandalism will make Farage turn around and say “actually yes, after reading that graffiti I see now that you are right and I am very wrong”, then you will be waiting a long time. Fair enough, you may not agree with the stance that Ukip take. You are entitled to this opinion because of one beautiful wonderful thing that this country allows: freedom of speech. This freedom allows you to believe in whatever you wish and voice your opinions as loudly and passionately as you physically can. But what people are forgetting is that this works in two ways;
while you are entitled to your own beliefs and values, Nigel Farage is entitled to his. In an ideal world, people in a position of power and influence would use this to bring about positive change and promote unity. Sadly we don’t live in this utopian society, and some people’s opinions are inevitably going to differ from others, making unity impossible. But instead of creeping out in the middle of the night and spraypainting threats on posters like teenage hooligans, there are more productive ways to voice your opposition. If these ‘activists’ have time on
their hands to plan activities such as disrupting Ukip meetings, then surely they have time to sit down and do their research. Instead of retaliating in a somewhat childish manner, an obvious alternative (and one that could actually make a difference in the long run) would be to educate themselves on politics and figure out what it is that they actually believe. It seems to me that where ‘political activists’ are concerned, it’s normally a case of the blind leading the blind. The voter turnout at the last few elections has been around 60 per cent, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the people ‘taking a stance’ against
Ukip are in the 40 per cent that don’t bother voting. Is it acceptable to vandalise posters and disrupt meeting? No it isn’t. Not when the majority of the public have access to resources that can educate them on political parties’ policies and intentions, and the ability to vote. Got an opinion on the topics discussed this fortnight? contact us letters@forgetoday.com