Astronomers for Planet Earth is a volunteer network that invites scientists, educators, and astronomy students to join in the effort against climate change and for climate justice. With more than 1000 members, this international organization of astronomers recently penned an open letter, published on Earth Day, in hopes of mobilizing support and building community around the common goal of sustainability. Below is an excerpt of the open letter.
An Open Letter to Astronomy Departments, Institutions and Societies: Adopt Sustainability as a Primary Goal
We, astronomers, astrophysicists, and global citizens, recognize the urgency of the climate crisis and our impact on it. We also recognize that we have the power to change our current practices. We call on astronomical institutions worldwide to set an example for the field in mitigating our contribution to climate change: naming sustainability as a primary goal, putting in place specific sustainable practices to lower carbon emissions, and clearly communicating these changes both to their own members and the general public.
Comprehensive scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that we are living in a climate emergency that calls for urgent action. Both the Paris agreement and the 2020 United Nations Emissions Gap Report outline the imperative to halt global heating and ocean acidification. Only through immediately effecting a significant and continuous reduction in global emissions can we achieve this goal. Without doing so, we will face both a biodiversity crisis through mass extinctions, and a humanitarian crisis from increasingly inhospitable living conditions. At our current rate of emissions--even despite the Covid pandemic--we are failing to prevent this disaster.
Read the full open letter and sign: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/open-letter-full-text
Learn more about Astronomers for Planet Earth: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/about-us
