Temple University has the opportunity to align their actions and operations with their expressed commitments to the good of the Temple community, including permanent residences of North Philadelphia. According to the Sustainability Report, Temple has committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, but this is only one part of a larger response which is necessary for protecting the environment and our communities. We - the past, present, and future students and faculty of Temple University - urgently demand transparency, accountability, and sustainability at our institution, in order to remedy the disconnect between Temples actions and words. The latest IPCC report 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.

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.

We demand Temple University to take the following actions:

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. 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. 

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.