Temple University has failed its community. Not only are the goals that have been set by the university insufficient in combating climate change, but they have been failing to even meet said goals. In response, we - the past, present, and future students and faculty of Temple University - are demanding transparency, accountability, and sustainability at our institution. The latest IPCC report (https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/ recommends that we, as a society, urgently minimize our dependence on fossil fuels in order to keep global warming under 1.5° C. If we want to be a part of the solution rather than the problem, we must take every possible step to minimize our carbon footprint, directly and indirectly.

We demand the following actions for Temple University to take:

A. Commit to transparency on all current investments in fossil fuel exploration, extraction, refinement, infrastructure, and distribution.

B. Immediate and full divestment from fossil fuels, and a halt to all future investments in fossil fuel exploration, extraction, and distribution.

C. Temple must create a strategic plan to reach absolute or real-zero emissions, and evaluate ways to transition existing energy infrastructure on Temple campuses completely away from fossil fuels and towards reduced and renewable energy. 

D. Divest from existing infrastructure that has high carbon emissions in operation, in order to lessen Temple's reliance on fossil fuels.

E. From this moment on, invest in renewable energy infrastructure at all Temple campuses; powered solely by renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal-generated electricity. 

F. Take responsibility by refusing to purchase carbon offsets under any circumstances as they are not valid alternatives to behavioral and infrastructural changes. 

Temple University must join the over 1508 institutions that have divested; including Harvard, Yale, University of Oxford, Rutgers, Syracuse, University of Maryland, and many more (https://divestmentdatabase.org/ Where a university invests its money is representative of the university's beliefs and values, and we, the Temple community cannot in good conscience support an institution that is actively supporting the interests of fossil fuel companies.

By signing this petition, you are helping to provide crucial support for this movement and are agreeing that we, members of the Temple community, endorse the listed recommendations for Temple University to divest from fossil fuels and recognize the urgency of the climate crisis.