The Leipzig university staff is asking for support
As a center of science, our university not only bears responsibility for our own internal university actions, but is also an important and powerful pillar of society. It therefore also bears responsibility for maintaining it. It must help bring about the rapid social change we need to protect our livelihoods, because the government is currently not doing it. We welcome the university’s intensification of relevant research. However, the scientific findings, not least the current IPCC, are already clear and speak for themselves: We have a window of 3-4 years to act in order to prevent too many climate tipping points being exceeded. Just this week, forecasts from the UN World Weather Organization were published that there is almost a 50% probability that we will reach 2026 degrees average global warming as early as 1,5. In view of this sufficient scientific knowledge about the impending climate collapse, it is the social and moral duty of our university to position itself publicly and thus initiate social discourse and opinion-forming processes, as well as to put pressure on our federal government to act consistently. The university can help shape the social framework without which we cannot make the changes necessary to contain the absolute climate emergency!
We therefore demand from the university management and the rector, as representative of the University of Leipzig, a declaration of life for current and future generations! It must speak out officially, publicly and addressed to Robert Habeck against the construction and financing of new fossil fuel infrastructure. In particular against new oil drilling in the North Sea and new liquid gas terminals. We thus support the current demand of the campaign Stop the fossil madness of the “Last Generation”.
This is a first, indispensable step against the destruction of our livelihoods.
The University of Leipzig has no publicly visible, clear data on its investments or an explanation of its divestments. We are therefore calling for a divestment resolution similar to that of the city of Leipzig in 2018, in which the university undertakes not to make any new investments and/or investments in coal, oil and gas infrastructure.
We also demand that the University of Leipzig disclose its investments or provide a transparent declaration of its investments. Accordingly, we call on the university to make clear data on this available in the next annual report at the latest.
We also need teaching to adapt to the climate emergency we find ourselves in. Events similar to the Public Climate School, which Students for Future organize annually, must take place permanently and regularly. In the future, the University of Leipzig should focus its university teaching and research on overcoming the fossil fuel-based growth society. We specifically demand a post-growth economics professorship for the next appointment.
Our specific demands:
- a declaration of life from Rector Prof. Dr. Eva Inés Obergfell to Robert Habeck, in which she:
- speaks out against the construction and financing of new fossil fuel infrastructure
- The University of Leipzig undertakes not to make any new investments and/or investments in oil and gas infrastructure and to publish its investments in the next annual report
- a change in the teaching operations at the University of Leipzig, specifically:
- a permanent and regular series of events on the current climate emergency
- a post-growth economics professorship in the next appointment
Last week we, some (former) students of the university, wrote an email to the rector in which we asked her to make the said declaration of life. In an answer we were informed that the University of Leipzig strives in research and teaching to “draw social attention to the many facets of the associated transformation (of climate-friendly developments)”. Our request for a public declaration of life was not responded to; instead it was said: “Let us work together for a better future and look for concrete forms in which we can do this particularly effectively.” History has shown that universities have the opportunity and power to initiate issues in society and create pressure.
We encourage the university and its rector, Prof. Dr. Eva Inés Obergfell, to once again publicly make the urgently needed declaration of life and to act decisively and scientifically justified in the face of an imminent climate collapse.
Lina Schinköthe, Wieland Bicher, Lilly Schubert, Helge Peukert, other (former) students, lecturers and supporters
There are various ways to support these demands:
During your lecture, come by everyone in the Audimax as lecturers or students and talk to us!
Take part in our lectures, presentations and discussions in the Auditorium Maximum on the topic: Civil resistance in the climate crisis!
Press Contact
Carla Hinrichs
Phone: +49 641 201099549
E-mail: [email protected]
Online lectures
Every Thursday on Zoom! 18:00 p.m. to 19:00 p.m.
A lecture about the climate catastrophe, the denial of reality and the possibility of taking responsibility at this unique time in human history. The first step to take action!
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