“We Are Still In: ” The Cathedral School Pledges its Support for the Paris Climate Accords

On June 1, President Trump declared that the U.S. was pulling out the Paris climate accords, the first global commitment to fight climate change. In the wake of his announcement, a coalition of more than 1,200 businesses, college and universities, mayors, governors, and counties in the U.S. announced that they would take action “to ensure that the U.S. remains a global leader in reducing emissions,” absent a formal policy in Washington. Coalition members include: Apple, Google, Facebook, Columbia University, Williams College, New York City and Los Angeles, CA.

 

This fall Aksel Katz ’17, the former president of Cathedral’s environmental club PEACOCK and now a freshman at Fieldston, wrote an email to the independent schools in New York City urging them to join the “We Are Still In” movement: “A signature of the letter by schools would yield a joint statement by educators acknowledging the reality of climate change and the urgency with which it needs to be dealt, and would also enter a new segment, primary and secondary schools, into the field of climate activism.” Current PEACOCK member Uma S ’18 decided to write a letter to Ms. Nelson to encourage the school to affirm its status as an environmental leader combating climate change.  “We [PEACOCK] think you should sign the letter because you are representing all of us: students, faculty, staff, and administrators.” On Tuesday, representatives from PEACOCK gathered in Ms. Nelson’s office to have her sign the letter. The Cathedral School’s name will be added to the list of signatories. PEACOCK hopes that including independent schools as stakeholders will bolster the movement in advance of the next round of UN climate talks in mid-November. To learn more about the movement, visit https://www.wearestillin.com/.