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To: President Golden,

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania: Go Fossil Free!

Because it is unconscionable to pay for our education with investments that will condemn the planet to climate disaster, we call on Mansfield University of Pennsylvania to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil-fuel companies, and to divest within five years from direct ownership and from any commingled funds that include fossil-fuel public equities and corporate bonds.

Why is this important?

Climate change is accelerating at an alarming pace, far beyond the predictions of most scientists.

We are witnessing the increasing impacts of a warming planet more and more consistently; in this last year alone our country experienced record-breaking heat, droughts, and hurricanes, which impacted hundreds of thousands of people and cost our country hundreds of billions of dollars. Hurricane Sandy alone caused $50 billion in damages.

Experts agree that global warming caused by humans burning fossil fuels will continue to accelerate and intensify these tragic climate disasters. The scientific consensus is clear and overwhelming; we cannot safely burn even half of global fossil-fuel reserves without dangerously warming the planet for several thousand years.

As public pressure to confront climate change builds, we call on Mansfield University of Pennsylvania to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil-fuel companies, and to divest within five years from direct ownership and from any commingled funds that include fossil-fuel public equities and corporate bonds. We believe such action on behalf of Mansfield University of Pennsylvania will not only be a sound decision for our institution’s financial portfolio, but also for the well-being of its current and future graduating classes, who deserve the opportunity to graduate with a future not defined by climate chaos.

Transforming our economy away from fossil fuels will create thousands of new jobs and put people to work developing and deploying new technologies for energy efficiency, renewable energy, green buildings, alternative fuels and more. Other countries such as Germany and even China are seizing this opportunity to build a clean energy economy. Mansfield receives much more sun than Germany, the world's leading solar nation. Imagine what we could do with the wise investments. We have the potential, now we just need the will to make the change!

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

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2022-11-15 19:01:45 -0500

10 signatures reached