In light of SFU’s 50th anniversary, Embark (formerly Sustainable SFU), SFU 350, and Divest SFU believe it is the perfect time for the university to become a leader in the climate justice movement, starting with a divestment from the fossil fuel industry.

The groups are collaborating to launch a divestment campaign this fall that will see various actions and events in the months to come.

The extraction and consumption of fossil fuels account for the greatest level of carbon emissions by humans, and are thus the greatest threat to the climate.

A report from the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change last year indicates that if carbon emissions are not drastically reduced by 2017, and global temperatures rise by just two degrees celsius, the effects of climate change would be irreversible.

As fourth-year environmental science student and Divest SFU campaigner Tessica Truong pointed out, the impacts of climate change are already being felt in the global south.

Sea levels and temperatures are rising, land is disappearing, drought is causing food insecurity, and the occurrence and severity of natural disasters is increasing, all of which are causing displacement and creating climate refugees.

Truong stated, “It is unethical to be profiting from fossil fuels as an educational institution, when the effects of fossil fuels on the climate are being paid for by others around the world.”

Started in 2013, the Divest SFU campaign was created to petition the SFU Board of Governors to take their endowment fund investments out of the fossil fuel industry in an effort to limit the growth of the industry.

They approached the board in the spring of 2014 with the backing of student groups on campus as well as many faculty members, some showing their support by signing off on an open letter to administration.

The university consequently adopted the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Investment and also created the Responsible Investment Committee in 2014, the latter of which aims to “review and make recommendations related to responsible investment proposals,” among other responsibilities.

Following the presentation, SFU released this statement from former VP Finance and Administration Pat Hibbitts: “The Divest SFU students made a compelling case about the role of investment in economic policy and we considered their request seriously.” She continued. “This new policy provides for governance of our investment strategy consistent with the UN PRI and our investment objectives.”

However, as Divest SFU sees it, no definitive action has been taken toward divestment, and the campaign continues.

Divestment from fossil fuel campaigns have been taking off in universities across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Stanford University, for instance, has been successful in convincing their board of governors to divest from the coal industry, and is now working toward divestment from all fossil fuels.

At McGill University, students set up a tent city on campus to protest the university’s fossil fuel investment. UBC350 held a referendum in which 77 per cent of students and 62 per cent of faculty voted in favour of divestment. Other institutions, such as Vancity credit union, proudly state that they are not invested in the fossil fuel industry.

One of the main arguments against divestment is that with the world’s already heavy reliance on fossil fuels, it won’t change anything.

Truong acknowledged that “SFU alone will not stop fossil fuel industries, but we do have the power to change the direction, and show leadership.”

Bill Nye, more fondly known by many as the “Science Guy,” graced the stage at SFU’s fall convocation as he received an honorary degree in his signature bow tie and SFU regalia. “I don’t normally wear this,” he quipped.

SFU graduates of today would have been Nye’s target audience for his well-loved educational children’s show Bill Nye the Science Guy, which ran on PBS for five seasons from 1993–98.

In Nye’s convocation address, graduands and guests were invited to “consider the following” once again as he spoke to the dangers of climate change, the importance of investing in renewable energy sources, and the power of young people to effect change — all prefaced with a reassuring, “You can trust me, I’m a doctor.”

“Climate change is going to be absolutely the biggest challenge that you face.”

– Bill Nye,
Science Guy

Since his days of teaching scientific concepts to youngsters with a healthy dose of humour, Nye has continued to be a public figure and become a climate change activist.

“Climate change is going to be absolutely the biggest challenge that you face,” he told graduates.

Nye marvelled at how the global population has more than doubled in his own lifetime. That, combined with how thin our atmosphere is, has made it possible for us to affect the earth’s climate.

Space is a lot closer that you would think. “If you could drive straight up at regular highway speeds [. . .] you’d be in outer space in an hour. You’d be above the breathable part of the world’s atmosphere in five minutes,” explained Nye.

Despite the magnitude of the issue of climate change, Nye remains optimistic. “You’re living in an extraordinary time [. . .] when there are this many brains applied to the world’s problems.”

Nye also spoke to the importance of educating women around the globe and adding even more brainpower to finding solutions to world issues.

According to Nye, the solution is renewable energy sources. He added that there is enough wind power in Manitoba and Saskatchewan combined to provide electricity for the whole of North America several times over.

“The key will be to embrace these technologies, or something better, soon enough.”

Nye’s recent visit to the Alberta tar sands has only solidified his position. “When I see the tar sands in Alberta, to me, it doesn’t look like Canada. It looks like an apocalyptic moonscape.

“It is keeping Canada from participating on the world stage in the same way that other countries are stepping up to reduce their global [. . .] greenhouse gas emissions.”

He then brought the audience’s attention to the upcoming federal election, encouraging people to exercise their democratic rights to affect Canada’s impact on the environment. “For those of you who don’t want to vote, would you just shut up and let the rest of us run things?”

On a lighter note, Nye also expressed some of the unabashed love for science for which he is known.

He commented on the wonders of space and the origins of his fascination with the universe. As a young child, he learned that there are more stars in space than there are grains of sand on earth.

He shared an anecdote: “I remember standing on the beach in the US state of Delaware and thinking, ‘I’m pretty insignificant. [. . .] I’m a grain of sand.’

“‘I am nothing! I don’t matter at all!’”

He then reflected on how amazing it is that he, with his human brain, could imagine the expanse of the universe. “With your brain, you can know the cosmos and your place in space. And with your brains, graduates, you can, dare I say it, change the world!”