Local News: December 4, 2023

- New report says New York can’t reach climate goals by 2030 -

A newly released report says that New York State won’t meet its 2030 climate goal. The legislature passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019. It requires the state to get 70% of its energy from renewable sources by 2023. The Public News Service reports that a report from Public Power New York concludes that this year the state gets less than 30% of its electricity from renewable sources. If the state continues at this pace it will not reach its 2030 goals.

- Cornell students occupy university building, demand divestment from Israeli military tech -

Cornell students occupied Day Hall on Friday. The Cornell Daily Sun reports that the students want the university to commit to divesting its endowment from companies they say are involved in “human rights abuses” in Palestine. They also demanded the administration establish policies against doxxing and recognize anti-Zionism as an ideology different from antisemitism. A crowd outside the building held a mock trial. The Daily Sun reports the crowd chanted “Cornell is complicit in genocide” and “Martha is complicit in genocide” (referring to university president Martha Pollack). The occupation ended on Sunday when the administration agreed to a meeting between students and the university’s chief financial officer to discuss the investment issues. There will also be future meetings with administrators to discuss doxxing concerns. The protests were organized by the pro-Palestinian campus group Cornell Coalition for Mutual Liberation.

- Ithaca School Board votes unanimously to fly Haudenosaunee flag at Ithaca High School -

The Haudenosaunee Confederacy flag can now be flown outside Ithaca High School. The Ithaca Board of Education voted unanimously to allow the flag on one of the two poles outside the school. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy also known as the Iroquois Confederacy is made up of six Native American nations with territory in New York State. The proposal was introduced by Ithaca High School students, teachers, administrators, and caregivers in October.