From the Ithaca Journal:
More than 100 students from nearly a dozen colleges and universities around New York state, along with community residents, are registered for a summit in Ithaca this weekend to plan statewide action on global warming. The New York Climate Summit will also train youth and community residents to go back to home campuses and communities and campaign to get clean energy policies, according to organizers. Hosted by the student group KyotoNOW! at Cornell University, part of the Sierra Student Coalition, the summit will also involve several regional organizations, including Sustainable Tompkins, the Climate Change Action Group of Central NY and Energy Independent Caroline.
Most events will be in Room 131 of Warren Hall on the Cornell campus, starting tonight with welcoming and remarks by Art Degaetano, a Cornell professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell, on effects of climate change on New York. Saturday’s events begin at 9 a.m. at Warren Hall.
“We know that we need 80 percent reductions below 1990 levels by 2050 and we also need green collar jobs to strengthen New York’s economy,” said Katherine McEachern, KyotoNOW! president. “These are safe, clean, good-paying jobs that we need in Upstate New York.”
The gathering follows Powershift, a national summit on building political strategies to get federal action.
“After having convened nearly 6,000 youth at Powershift and demonstrated that a strong movement is building, we are coming back to our home state in New York to strategize on how we can get the state of New York to become a leader on global warming by the end of next spring,” said Carlos Rymer, New York Coordinator for the Sierra Student Coalition and an organizer of the summit. “It’s about time that New York joined California, New Jersey, and other states in making a mandatory commitment to nearly eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in the state by mid-century.”
