Climate — and Princeton’s Reputation — Will Suffer

Princeton is doing a disservice to the nation and to humanity by reversing direction on fossil fuel divestments. Setting a goal of 2046 for net zero feels not only shameful but dishonest. Claiming Princeton cannot afford to give up fossil fuel investments is equally dishonest — but let’s say that we did have a reduction in funds available for programs. The lesson our nation and humanity must learn, and the great service of leadership Princeton could do for the nation and humanity, is to live within our means, to live within the amount we can extract without damaging the systems on which humanity and all life on Earth depend to survive. It is absurd as well as suicidal to say that in order to thrive Princeton needs to support the destruction of all that climate change and the disruption of the biosphere will destroy. There is no justifiable reason for abandoning divestment. If you do not care about the climate or the losses and suffering its disruption is already causing, maybe you care about Princeton’s reputation and position as a leader, which is reason enough to return to the course we seemed to be following. Divestment is the best policy by any measure, as other letters here demonstrate. I hope we can return immediately to that wise path.