Maine\u2014 Students across the state have created a coalition to demand greater statewide urgency in addressing climate change.<\/p>\n
Maine Students for Climate Justice (MSCJ) was started by student leaders from Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, College of the Atlantic, University of New England, University of Southern Maine, and University of Maine, Orono. Reaching out to other colleges, they are broadening their front in ongoing national efforts to address climate change, from divesting colleges, churches and cities from fossil fuel corporations, to halting tar sands production.<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate change isn\u2019t just an issue that our grandchildren will face. It\u2019s affecting communities worldwide, right now,\u201d said Aurie Ingraham-Adie, coalition member from University of New England. \u201cWe\u2019re not waiting for graduation to start making change.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the MSCJ\u2019s first projects is to divest more Maine colleges from fossil fuels. With two Maine colleges \u2014Unity College and College of the Atlantic\u2014 already divested, Maine students are eager to remain in the forefront of the national movement to divest higher learning institutions from fossil fuels. Students are engaged in active divestment campaigns at Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin colleges, Maine College of Art, University of New England, University of Southern Maine, and University of Maine Farmington and Orono.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis coalition is going to make all of our divestment campaigns stronger,\u201d said Iris SanGiovanni, from University of Southern Maine. \u201cWe are learning from each other, and we\u2019re ready to stand up for each other to demand divestment throughout Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDivestment is going to happen,\u201d said Meaghan LaSala, a MSCJ member from University of Southern Maine. \u201cFossil fuel divestment is the fastest growing divestment movement ever. Maine can choose to be a leader or a follower.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDivestment is a good way for people to do something about this very imminent crisis,\u201d said Lucas Burdick, College of the Atlantic student. \u201cDivesting your school from fossil fuels makes a serious symbolic statement about the gravity of climate change. Sending that message, that planetary stability is more important than return on profit, matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, students from College of the Atlantic and from University of New England are in attending the UN climate talks Warsaw, Poland. Home in Maine, members of MSCJ are closely following the student coverage of the conference.<\/p>\n
Nathan Thanki, a CoA student, spoke from Poland to members of MSCJ. \u201cMaine\u2019s coastal impacts will be severe,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if Maine stopped emitting, the rest of the worlds emissions would mean we suffer all the negative impacts. So we need some bigger picture thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
In late October, 80 students from MSCJ attended PowerShift<\/a>, one of the largest convergences of youth climate activists in the country .<\/p>\n \u201cPowershift reminded me that we\u2019re not alone,\u201d said Iris SanGiovanni. \u201cThere are communities all around the world who are standing up, too. Young people everywhere realize that we\u2019re on track for a climate disaster. We\u2019re the ones that need to change the course of history.\u201d<\/p>\n After successfully organizing students to go to PowerShift, MSCJ is looking towards larger actions in the future\u2014 from statewide campaigns like divestment, to bringing youth voices to the state legislature, and to community struggles like the efforts to resist Tar Sands transportation in Maine. MSCJ is planning a Student Summit at Maine\u2019s first Climate Solutions Summit and Expo<\/a> in March\u2014 an event to bring people together from across sectors to forge real climate solutions, from academia, to community groups, and public policy makers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n Maine Students for Climate Justice Mission:<\/p>\n Maine Students for Climate Justice (MSCJ), is a student-run coalition dedicated to confronting the systems and institutions fueling the climate crisis. We bring youth voices to the climate struggle in Maine, and provide resources and support for one another as we work towards ecological sustainability and social justice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MSCJ Contacts:<\/p>\n Meaghan LaSala \u2014 University of Southern Maine<\/p>\n 973-862-7105<\/a><\/p>\n meaghan.lasala@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Contact:<\/p>\n Ethan Zwirn \u2014 Bates College<\/p>\n