Climate Change

Letter to the editor: Bowdoin Climate Action

To the Editor:
The students of Bowdoin Climate Action are to be commended for their activism and efforts in advocating for divestment of the college endowment from fossil fuels. And President Mills is to be commended for stating that “climate change is a hugely important issue” and for arranging a meeting between these students and the Board of Trustees for next October. He also says that about 50 percent of Americans don’t share his belief in climate change. A significant reason that many do not share his belief about the seriousness of climate change is that the fossil fuel industry has spent vast sums to deny the science and foster a climate of doubt about climate change. The issue has falsely been politicized.
Senator Angus King has said that climate change is not a Democratic or Republican issue but an issue of science. Science tells us that fully 80 percent of known fossil fuel reserves need to remain in the ground if we are to avoid runaway climate change. The fossil fuel industry will not stop digging without pressure. Quite the contrary: In 2013 it collectively spent $650 billion exploring for more oil, coal and gas to add to its already proven reserves. If burned, these additions would push average global temperatures so high as to make civilization as we have known it, and the survival of an increasing host of species, untenable.
By divesting, Bowdoin has an opportunity to be a moral leader by applying that pressure. The divestment movement worldwide is fast growing and soon others will be following those colleges that have already divested. President Mills has stated that the endowment should not be a mechanism by which we choose winners and losers on political and social and moral issues. In the past many colleges, universities, and municipalities chose to divest from investments in apartheid South Africa and in the tobacco industry.
These divestments were seen as responding to political, social, and moral issues. The climate change crisis surely rises to that level of seriousness. And also, by remaining invested in fossil fuel, one is choosing to support the current business model of the fossil fuel industry which, if successful, will likely lead to catastrophic climate change.
As one BCA sign said, “Bowdoin Divestment is for the Common Good.”
Sincerely,Billy Rixon Freeport, ME

Letter to the editor: Register to vote now

To the Editors:On Thursday, September 4, I was walking through Smith Union, and I noticed that two representatives of a Maine non-profit organization were registering students to vote. While I was glad that students had this opportunity, I was concerned that the two representatives were trying to persuade a student who obviously wanted to vote in his home state to register in Maine.
Bowdoin students have every right to register to vote in Brunswick if they consider it to be their residence. However, students who do register become subject to the same laws concerning driver’s licenses, automobile registrations, and income taxes as other Maine residents.
I recommend that students visit the website of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU and search for “Student Voting Guide.” The guide explains voting laws in each state.Students who want to vote in other states should be aware that many states have much earlier deadlines for registering and requesting absentee ballots than Maine. For example, Massachusetts requires mailed voter registration applications to be postmarked by Wednesday, October 15; New York requires them to be postmarked by Friday, October 10; and California requires them to be postmarked by Monday, October 20.
The Brennan Center’s Student Voting Guide contains links to voter registration applications and absentee ballot request forms that may be printed and submitted by mail. For some states, there are links to websites where these documents may be completed and submitted online.If you start the process now, you will have plenty of time to mark your absentee ballot and return it to your state by Election Day.
Michelle A. Small ’86

Letter to the editor

May 2, 2014

To the Editor:

If you’re concerned about climate change, you may feel there is little you can do that will make a difference. Here’s a suggestion: vote. If you choose a candidate who consistently advocates for climate-friendly legislation, you’ve taken a positive step.

As it turns out, Bowdoin students have such an opportunity this June. Jackie Sartoris is running in a June 10 Democratic primary for the Maine State Legislature. Her district includes almost all of Bowdoin’s dormitories. She’s been a consistent proponent of sustainability initiatives at the local and state levels and her non-partisan work to pass comprehensive wetland laws won a national award from the Environmental Law Institute. The urgent need for leadership addressing climate change is a primary reason that Jackie is running. For more information go to jackiesartoris.com.

While few Bowdoin students typically participate in June elections, these are races with small turnouts and every vote will matter. Students can register to vote in Brunswick and vote absentee. I encourage you to take this simple step to help the planet.

Sincerely,
Mark Battle
Associate Professor of Physics

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