New York –
The Executive Committee of the Student Assembly of the State University
of New York (SUNY SA) passed a resolution calling on SUNY to fully
divest from companies and interests that manufacture fossil
fuels. The resolution was put forth to the Assembly’s Executive
Committee and successfully passed during the Committee’s business
meeting on Saturday, September 26.
The
resolution calls upon SUNY and its universities to freeze new
investments in fossil-fuel companies immediately and to divest
completely from any direct ownership in these companies or in funds that
include fossil-fuel equities and corporate bonds, and instead invest in
alternative energies and technologies. The Assembly believes that this
action is paramount in maintaining SUNY’s role at the forefront of
sustainable economic progress.
This
mandate comes in response to a number of factors including the $950
billion that has been divested from fossil-fuels worldwide, the
exponential growth of the solar industry and other alternative
industries that has occurred inside the U.S. over the past five years
and will continue to occur far into the future, and the World Health
Organization’s statistics on the 4.2 million yearly global deaths linked
to climate change.
Multiple
SUNY universities currently have divestment campaigns in place, and in
passing this resolution, the Assembly formally states that it is time
for SUNY to begin the process of divestment.
Zachary
Beaudoin, Chair of SUNY SA’s Sustainability Committee, stated, "As
divestment becomes a recognized and heralded global financial decision, I
am thrilled that the Assembly has called upon SUNY to fully divest from
fossil fuels. This action speaks to the ongoing measures in which SUNY
SA actively participates that continue to shape SUNY's status as a world
leader on such important topics.”
SUNY
Student Assembly President Thomas Mastro believes that the Assembly
made a strong, productive decision in the passing of this resolution.
His remarks were as follows:“Passing this
resolution and calling upon SUNY to divest from fossil fuels were
progressive steps for SUNY SA to take. From Plattsburgh to Geneseo, our
students have asked their home campuses and SUNY itself to divest, and
as student representatives, our organization formally agrees. By
removing fossil fuels and potentially harmful technologies from its list
of investments and instead involving itself with alternative
technologies and clean energy, SUNY will take the lead on this important
initiative and continue to be a beacon of progress for our nation and
our world.”
Source: The Student Assembly of the State University of New York (SUNY SA)
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