Writing in the October 6 edition of The Manitoban, UMSU president Jakob Sanderson argues that the U of M needs to follow UMSU’s example in declaring a climate emergency.

“The UMSU board of directors was given notice on Sept. 12 of a motion I presented on behalf of our sustainability working group asking UMSU to declare a climate emergency and demand the university follow suit. It also calls on the administration to commit itself to a 50 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050, while working immediately to lay out a definitive step-by-step plan on how it will meet these targets.

As UMSU works with student activists to push the administration towards accepting this proposal over the next year, the last thing I want to hear about from them is whether other U15 universities are committed to the same targets. For a university that often languishes from the middle to the bottom of the U15 ranks on many research initiatives, the opportunity to be among the first major movers in this area should be a welcomed one.”

Read the full story here.