Dear Editor:

As Hurricane Katrina slammed into our city two and a half years ago, all of New Orleans felt the effects of global warming. A warmer Gulf brought a Category 1 storm to an excess of Category 4. With August 2005 in mind, there is no better place to start a movement to prevent future climate catastrophes than New Orleans.

On Jan. 30-31, Loyola will join college campuses across the United States to hold a teach-in on global warming and its solutions. Focus the Nation will be the largest teach-in ever held in the United States. The discussions and problem-solving during the teach-in will equip our generation with the tools we need to conquer the problems of global warming by fostering discussion across all academic disciplines. Loyola faculty members will be leading discussions about global warming rooted in their areas of expertise, ranging from spirituality to chemistry. I encourage professors to take to their classes to these sessions to engage their students in interdisciplinary learning about a topic of capital importance.

It is Loyola’s moral imperative to lead New Orleans on the path to climate neutrality and environmental awareness. In the coming weeks, I will ask Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president, to sign The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. The commitment requires our institution to take immediate and concrete steps to reduce carbon emissions. The goals presented in the commitment are attainable for Loyola and would put us on track to carbon neutrality by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent by 2050.

Chad Carson,

Co-Chairman, Loyola University Environmental Action Program