WE ARE 9
"The current world population of 7.2 billion is projected to increase by one billion over the next twelve years and reach 9.6 billion by 2050..."
-The United Nations News Centre
Catholic Issue
"Even if ‘nature is at our disposition’, all too often we do not ‘respect it or consider it a gracious gift which we must care for and set at the service of our brothers and sisters, including future generations’." -Pope Francis (Statement to Diplomatic Core)
Life on Earth is a gift. We are guided by Church teachings to approach environmental concerns bearing in mind the sanctity of God’s creation and our responsibility to seek justice for those who are most vulnerable. Environmental inequity has long been one aspect of the injustices perpetrated on the world’s poor, but climate change brings new threats to the world’s poor on many levels.
Furthermore, with the population of the planet projected to increase to 9 billion by mid-century, it is even more important to seek sustainable means to ensure the quality of life for all. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves. By continuing on the path of degrading the Earth through the emission of greenhouse gases, we are not only damaging the Earth for our future selves, but failing to adhere to this most basic rule. We must keep in mind that God gave us only one Earth, which much be shared by all.
We Are 9 aims to unite the student body and the world, which is on our way to a population of 9 billion. Embracing our Catholic identity, our role as a premier academic institution and our presence in the global community, Notre Dame has the responsibility to promote policies to ensure a just and stable planet for all. We Are 9 supports a campus free from fossil fuels, meaning a carbon neutral campus and divestment from fossil fuel corporations.
Specifically, we are calling on President Jenkins to sign the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, an initiative which aims at carbon neutrality that has been signed by over 650 presidents. We believe such action on behalf of The University of Notre Dame will not only reflect our role as a premier Catholic Institution, but it will also ensure for the wellbeing of its current and future graduating classes, who deserve the opportunity to graduate with a future not defined by climate chaos.
Our Mission
Social Justice Issue
The world as we know it is changing. Climate change threatens the health, livelihood, and in fact, the very lives of people around the globe. Diseases, storms, droughts, flooding and wildfires are all more likely to occur due to our shifting planet. Moreover, these effects will disproportionately harm the poor and minorities, who are more dependent on natural resources to live.
Therefore, climate change is fundamentally a human rights issue. Researchers estimate that the world is on track to emit 3 billion metric tons of carbon as carbon dioxide by 2040. This amount of carbon in the atmosphere would have disasterous affects on the planet by raising the overall temperature by 2 degrees Celsius (from the 19th century global temperature).
Notre Dame as a global institution has a responsibility to the world. It is important that we stand up for those being affected by climate change, and take steps to decrease our own carbon footprint.
“I was very struck by the fact that the impacts of climate change are undermining a whole range of human rights: rights to food, safe water and health and education,” -Mary Robinson (former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, former President of Ireland)
Notre Dame Issue
With the help of faculty members at Notre Dame, we analyzed the top 20 colleges in the US by using the information publicly available on their websites regarding carbon reduction goals. After the analysis, only the four universities without carbon reduction plans were less aggressive than Notre Dame. In other words, Notre Dame ranks last when compared to the universities that have carbon reduction plans. Notre Dame has set a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 50% per square foot by 2030. However, other top 20 universities are more ambitious. Cornell University for example, a large research university with over 20,000 students (double the student enrollment of Notre Dame) has already developed an award winning plan for carbon neutrality by 2050.
Notre Dame’s plan - http://green.nd.edu/strategy/energy/
Cornell’s plan – http://www.sustainablecampus.cornell.edu/initiatives/climate-action-plan
National Geographic states, "[Coal]'s the dirtiest, most lethal energy source we have". With 44% of carbon dioxide emissions by fossil fuels from burning coal, one can tell that using coal as an energy source is not feasible on a long term scale. That is to say one is not considering the disasterous effects burning coal has on climate change and human health when coal is used over more sustainable means of energy. Despite the availability of alternative fuel sources, Notre Dame continues to burn between 15-50% coal per year.
We Are 9 is calling Notre Dame to address climate change as a social, Catholic, and Notre Dame issue. Notre Dame, as a leading Catholic university and global institution, should address social issues such as this, and take a stance to combat climate change, to stand in solidarity with the midcentury population of 9 billion, and be stewards of God's creation.
Fighting Irish for a fossil free future. We Are 9. We Are ND.
