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In December, the UBC Board of Governors unanimously endorsed the university’sDeclaration on the Climate Emergency, responding to the advocacy of our students, faculty and staff.
This declaration unequivocally acknowledges the urgency of the climate crisis and UBC’s ongoing commitment to directly face this as one of the most pressing issues of our time. You can read it at https://president.ubc.ca/letter-to-the-community/2019/12/05/climate-emergency-declaration/.
The declaration includes the commitment to establish a task force, create a climate emergency community engagement process and provide recommendations based on the consultations to the Board of Governors in June, 2020.
In collaboration with the UBC Climate Hub, the UBC Climate Emergency Task Force has been established, co-chaired by Professor Walter Mérida, Senior Faculty Advisor to the President and professor in the Faculty of Applied Science, and Michelle Marcus from UBCC350. The task force will advise and make recommendations to address the climate emergency from the ideas gathered from UBC’s diverse and insightful community during the engagement process.
There is a range of ways for people to get involved, including an online survey, community dialogue events on both campuses and a forum at UBC Vancouver.
We recognize this initial engagement process is being done within an expedited time frame. Given the scale of the climate emergency, we are not expecting to find all the answers immediately. Rather, this is the beginning of a conversation that will inform our commitment to leadership in addressing climate change.
We hope you will take time to share your views on this topic, which not only affects our university but the planet as a whole.
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Share your views via an online survey. The survey will remain open until March 27, 2020
- Attend a forum at UBC Vancouver on March 11 between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm. You can find more details at https://climateemergency.ubc.ca/events/
- Join a pop-up discussion table at UBC Okanagan. You can find more details at https://climateemergency.ubc.ca/events/
- Organize your own community dialogue. Resources are available to support the conversation at https://climateemergency.ubc.ca/events/
UBC is a leading university committed to climate action through teaching and learning, research, engagement and operations; however, more urgent progress is needed. By mobilizing our diverse communities and using our collective expertise, resources and influence, UBC can help drive crucial change, both locally and globally. We hope you will take part in this process. Learn more athttps://climateemergency.ubc.ca.
Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor
Gail Murphy
Vice-President, Research & Innovation
Co-chair, UBC Sustainability Strategy Steering Committee
Robin Ciceri
Vice-President, External Relations
Co-chair, UBC Sustainability Strategy Steering Committee
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