University of Florida student senate approves Green New Deal measures
On Feb. 20, the University of Florida student senate voted in favor of a package to combat climate change - the 'defining challenge of the twenty-first century.'
The package encourages the university to implement a 'climate change-related curriculum' and pushes for a 'carbon-neutral' campus.
A student government body in Gainesville, Florida is embracing far-left ideology in its fight against climate change.
On Feb. 20, the University of Florida (UF) student senate voted in favor of a “Green New Deal” package to implement campus-wide initiatives to combat this “defining challenge of the twenty-first century.”
One of the pieces of legislation argues that climate change “has disproportionate effects on Black communities, Indigenous communities, and People of Color.”
By passing the bill, the student senate “recognizes the importance to acknowledging all voices including especially including People of Color in the just transition to a more sustainable future.”
Another bill focuses on integrating “Climate Change Education” into the university’s curriculum.
According to The Guardian, the package was passed unanimously by the UF student senate but will have to gain further financial approval by the board of trustees at an upcoming meeting on March 7.
The outlet also reports that the package calls for the immediate implementation of the Office of Sustainability’s updated climate action plan.
“UF will ensure that all undergraduate students have increased access and awareness of climate change-related curriculum and courses during their time at UF,” the proposed climate action plan states.
If approved, the plan would make UF “seek to include climate change-related courses as part of undergraduate general education requirement” and provide faculty “with access to climate change-related curriculum development resources.”
The climate action plan also aims to push UF into becoming a “carbon-neutral” campus and decrease the number of single-occupancy commuter vehicles while increasing the use of electric vehicles.
Other provisions included in the Green New Deal package call for divestment from the fossil fuel industry as well as restricting research funding from fossil fuel companies.
The UF student senate’s demands extend beyond the university campus, as the bill urges state legislators to pass similar legislation.
“The University of Florida Student Senate calls upon Florida Lawmakers to take action to address the climate crisis in an urgent manner and to adopt a Green New Deal for the State of Florida,” one of the bills states.
UF’s Green New Deal has been endorsed by Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani, along with many leftist student group leaders, such as those from the College Democrats, Planned Parenthood Generation Action, the Pride Student Union, and Young Democratic Socialists of America.
A petition organized by a progressive activist group called Youth Action Fund gained nearly 700 supporters for UF’s Green New Deal initiative.
Campus Reform contacted the University of Florida for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
