Students take climate action on campus

A group of 20 students held a climate demonstration on the campus of TU Delft as part of a nationwide protest. The students, united in University Rebellion that was founded in February 2020, had prepared a manifesto. Executive Board member Rob Mudde accepted the manifesto.

^{(Photo: University Rebellion)}

In their manifesto the students express their concerns about global warming and decreasing biodiversity. They also expressed support for the equal division of power and wealth around the world and believe that TU Delft should express its opinions on these subjects more clearly.

‘End links with the fossil fuel industry’

The students have a sizeable list of demands which they want universities, and TU Delft among them, to meet. They believe that more education on climate change and the environmental crisis is needed; that TU Delft should be climate neutral by 2025 (TU Delft is striving for 2030); that canteens should only serve vegan food; and universities should end their links with the fossil fuel industry.

They also call on universities to require partners such as banks and insurance companies to stop investing in hazardous industries and call on the Government to do more to address the climate change situation. Further, universities should deal with discrimination internally and make sure that they have a more diverse student and staff body, say the students.

While University Rebellion is pushing TU Delft to action, TU Delft is doing the same at the G20. The leaders of the 20 most important economies in the world are gathering on 21 and 22 November. TU Delft is co-signatory of a declaration of the International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA) that targets these leaders in which they call for system change to a CO₂ neutral economy.

• Also read this column: ‘Put your money where your mouth is’
• And this article: How can we make the campus climate-neutral in 10 years?