Students protest the construction of a natural gas plant at Ohio State, Nov. 19, 2020. Credit: Christian Harsa | Special Projects Director
“What do we want?”
“Climate Justice!”
“When do we want it?”
“Now!”
The sound of angry Ohio State students and Columbus community members fills the silent neighborhood. It is 6:30 a.m. on May 15, 2021, and after months of informational events, meetings with campus representatives, rallies and banner drops, environmentalists across campus are sick of asking nicely.
Since the announcement that the university will be constructing a Combined Heat and Power Fracked Gas Plant on campus, Ohio Youth for Climate Justice has been mobilizing and organizing to halt construction. On May 15, we took the fight to the house of the one person who might be able to shut it down for good: President Kristina Johnson.
After an hour of our noisy cries, she requested that two students come to her door to raise our concerns. The “conversation” turned into a 15-minute lecture from President Johnson about the importance of mitigating our personal carbon footprints by investing in energy-efficient cars and purchasing LED light bulbs. She even bragged to us that she’d soon be aiding in the fight against climate change by buying her own Tesla. We left that day feeling immensely discouraged.
President Johnson spent her career dedicated to building a clean energy economy. If she cannot see the systemic role Ohio State plays in the climate crisis, how can we possibly sway anyone else? The effects of climate change are no longer a future problem.
As temperatures rise, so do the frequency and severity of floods, wildfires, hurricanes and heat waves across the United States and around the world. Here in Ohio, we’ve seen how climate change affects our weather and air quality, from dying crops to an increase in respiratory conditions. And we know that these effects are not distributed evenly. Working-class communities of color are hit first and worst by the impacts of climate change.
Our generation has grown up understanding that fossil fuel companies are largely to blame for the crisis. But what about institutions enabling the fossil fuel industry to destroy our planet Institutions, like our very own Ohio State, who invest tuition money into fossil fuel destruction.
Fossil fuel companies, like any other business, could not operate without financial support. Without investors, such as our university, massive projects like pipelines and mountaintop removal wouldn’t have the cash to get off the ground. Fossil fuels are dependent on financial and public support from large universities.
So what can be done? Ohio Youth for Climate Justice knows that if we can stop the flow of money, we can stop the flow of oil. Earlier this year, both the University of Michigan and Harvard University made commitments to completely divest from fossil fuels. We must follow in our rival’s footsteps. We cannot let the team up north beat us in this game, because if we lose, everyone else does too.
It is not enough to demand that the university stop using fossil fuels on campus; Ohio State must immediately cease all investments it currently holds in the industry. The university’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 will fall flat so long as they continue to finance the expansion of fossil fuels now and into the future.
Ohio State’s investments in nonrenewable energy sources will continue if they do not face significant opposition, which is why we are calling on students and community members who want environmental justice, now.
We’re getting started by blasting the inboxes of President Johnson and the Board of Trustees. Take five minutes to follow the link, send an email and let these campus decision-makers know which side you stand on. And on Friday, in solidarity with youth across the country, Ohio Youth for Climate Justice hosted a rally outside President Johnson’s office to demand divestment.
We will keep showing up, rallying and organizing until Ohio State is fossil-free. Lend your voice and join us. Our future depends on it.
Catherine Adams is a first-year in environmental policy and an Eminence Fellow. She is also an organizer with Ohio Youth for Climate Justice.
Samya Amjad is a third-year in English literature education and an organizer with Ohio Youth for Climate Justice.
Chelsey Gilchrist is a first-year in arts and sciences and an organizer with Ohio Youth for Climate justice.
Isabella Guinigundo is a second-year in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and a Morrill Scholar. Isabella is also an organizer with Ohio Youth for Climate Justice.
Yasmine Skalli is a first-year in engineering and an organizer with Ohio Youth for Climate Justice.
Cole Osbourne is a Columbus community member studying education. They are also an organizer with Ohio Youth for Climate Justice.
