Decarbonization Challenge at Yale

"Nations should be competing to decarbonize their economies as a means to maximise economic growth." -- Fred Pearce

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/could_global_tide_be_starting_to_turn_against_fossil_fuels/2837/

Could Global Tide Be Starting To Turn Against Fossil Fuels? by Fred Pearce: Yale Environment 360 From an oil chill in the financial world to the recent U.S.-China agreement on climate change, recent developments are raising a question that might once have been considered unthinkable: Could this be the beginning of a long, steady decline for the oil and coal industries?

Tackling climate change does not work against the economy; it works for the economy.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/jan/08/economics-supports-immediate-action-on-global-warming

Economics supports immediate action on global warming | Dana Nuccitelli Dana Nuccitelli: While optimal climate policies are debatable, the need for such policies is not

Ever wondered why planes are such a big player in reducing carbon footprint? Read this great article to find out.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/every-time-you-fly-you-trash-the-planet-and-theres-no-easy-fix/

Every Time You Fly, You Trash The Planet -- And There's No Easy Fix When the latest international Climate Conference wrapped up in Lima, Peru, last month, delegates boarded their flights home without much official discussion of how the planes that shuttled them to ...

Climate change is a significant issue, and we as individuals can make a change.
Here is an inspiring story on reducing air travel.
http://grist.org/living/love-and-long-distance-travel-in-the-time-of-climate-change/

Love and long-distance travel in the time of climate change It's very strange to be in a position where you weigh spending the holidays with people you love against the climate crisis.

Happy 2015!
As a New Year resolution, DCYale members will further decarbonize our own lifestyles, and work hard to promote a wider decarbonization effort. Will you accept this with us?

Read about an extraordinary act of Dr. Zoloth, president of the American Academy of Religion.
"In her vision, they would all refrain from flying across the country, saving money and carbon. It could be a year, Dr. Zoloth argued, in which they would sacrifice each other’s company for the sake of the environment, and instead would turn toward their neighborhoods and hometowns."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/06/us/setting-aside-a-scholarly-get-together-for-the-planets-sake.html

Setting Aside a Scholarly Get-Together, for the Planet’s Sake Laurie Zoloth, the president of the American Academy of Religion, has proposed that a future convention be called off, and the resources directed elsewhere.

Catholic bishops spoke up about stopping fossil fuel usage.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30408022

Bishops call for end to fossil fuels Catholic bishops from around the world are calling for an end to fossil fuel use and increased efforts to secure a global climate treaty.

The Guardian just published an intriguing article on the role of meat consumption in carbon emission. What do you think? Do you avoid meat, or specific kinds of meat, in your eating habits? Tell us your thoughts!
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/03/eating-less-meat-curb-climate-change

Eating less meat essential to curb climate change, says report Global livestock industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than transport but fear of a consumer backlash is preventing action, says Chatham House report

Be on the lookout for YAWA's Meatless Monday pledges tomorrow! Eating less meat is a great way to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, which is why we are supporting Yale Animal Welfare Alliance and going veg with them on Mondays! Be sure to also check out the Meatless Monday tables hosted by Sustainability Service Corps -- it's more fun when we all make sustainable choices together!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of our exciting partnership with Yale Food Action and Decarbonization Challenge at Yale for a Meatless Mondays pledge gathering campaign!

"As a student at Yale, I am a leader for the next generation. I pledge to join the growing number of students at Yale and across the country to leave meat off our plates on Mondays for the environment, animals, and my health."

Keep an eye out for us so you can take the pledge and get this snazzy pin. Or, if you just can't wait, send an email to [email protected]!

A promising deal has been made between the world's two largest carbon emitters. What do you think?
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/12/china-and-us-make-carbon-pledge

China and US strike deal to cut emissions in bid to push through global climate pact Barack Obama aims for cuts of a quarter or more by 2025, while Xi Jinping sets goal for emissions to fall after 2030

Is Yale ready to have an ethical debate about climate change? What do you think, Yale Student Environmental Coalition (YSEC) / Fossil Free Yale?

"What better forum than the university could there be for distinguishing among competing moral claims?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/opinion/sunday/the-missing-campus-climate-debate.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

The Missing Campus Climate Debate Universities must consider divesting from fossil fuels.

A great reminder that climate change is about more than the environment. Do you think that Yale has a moral obligation to act on climate change?

"Any politically just and morally accountable framing of climate policy must involve consistently weighing the actions of affluent industrialized nations against their impacts on the least advantaged."

http://theconversation.com/limiting-global-warming-to-2-c-the-philosophy-and-the-science-32074

Limiting global warming to 2°C: the philosophy and the science Industrial civilization must become technologically, economically, politically, and morally sustainable to hold the earth’s temperature below 2°C (3.6°F) higher than its preindustrial average. The problem…