Act Now Unimelb
University of Melbourne
The UMSU Environment Department acknowledges that we are based on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nations. We reaffirm that no vision of environmental justice is complete without First Nations justice. We pay our respect to their elders past and present. This land was, is and always will be, Aboriginal land. Sovereignty was never ceded.
Despite their reputation of world-class research and education, the University of Melbourne is not doing not doing enough against the global catastrophe of climate change.
This university has a net worth of $1.35 billion. Their actions hold immense influence over climate policy, research and discourse. Yet at a time when we need large institutions to take the lead, the University of Melbourne acts as an accomplice to the world’s most ecocidal industries.
They invest undisclosed millions in fossil fuels, an industry from which the world should have transitioned half a century ago. They continue to partner with corporations such as ExxonMobil, who are responsible for the worst oil spills in recent history, and aggressively fund climate denialist propaganda worldwide. Far from being denounced, these corporations’ crimes are legitimised by the University- who invite them to advertise to future graduates right on campus.
The clock is ticking on our planet’s survival.
Greenwashed corporate initiatives are not enough. Urging students to recycle whilst bankrolling fossil fuels is not enough. Universities across Australia are divesting from environmentally destructive industries and it’s time for Melbourne to do the same. If the University claims that they have ‘students at its heart,’ why can’t they listen to a grassroots student movement fighting for a sustainable future?
We ask that the University of Melbourne act on their “serious commitments to sustainability”. Our generation will never stand for climate injustice.
Petition by
To:
University of Melbourne
From:
[Your Name]
To the University of Melbourne,
You claim to aspire to be ‘global leaders for a sustainable future’. Your actions have demonstrated the exact opposite.
We demand climate action now. No delays, no excuses, and no empty promises. We call on the university leadership to hear the voice of the students. We call on them to enact institutional change and address this climate catastrophe.
The university must cut all ties with companies that engage in ecologically destructive practices. Its partners have included Saudi Aramco and Exxonmobil, which have collectively emitted over 100 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in the last 50 years. It supports Lockheed Martin, the single biggest supplier to the US military who makes $60 billion per year from weapons of mass human and environmental destruction.
Instead of bankrolling ecocidal companies and the world’s largest carbon emitters, the university must commit to contributing at least 25% of the research budget to sustainable research across all disciplines. It must integrate sustainability education across all coursework and outreach programs. The university must immediately commit to being 100% carbon neutral by 2025. Beyond their investments and partnerships, the university must ensure all facilities on campus- including at least 50% of all food retailers and 100% of all other vendors- are compliant with sustainability best practices. The university must fully deliver on their goal to reduce waste to landfill to 20kg per person. They must maintain transparency throughout this process and establish a climate risk taskforce, in line with current practice at the Victorian government.
Students of this university care deeply about the protection of our planet. As long as Australia’s so-called “number 1 research university” continues to ignore the realities of the climate emergency, we will continue to fight back.
To the students and staff members,
Your voice matters. We have the most to gain from effective climate action, and have the most to lose from inaction. Take charge of our future. Sign the petition and demand that the university stop funneling our money to the very companies that continue to poison the Earth. It’s time for them to realise that we, the students, will not simply stand by.
Sign the ActNowUnimelb petition today to add your voice in the fight for climate action. By signing this petition, you are calling on the University of Melbourne to implement the demands as listed above. You are demanding the University of Melbourne to act NOW, before it is too late.
Ann Nguyen and James Park
UMSU Environment Office Bearers