Yesterday, ClimateDefiance, a "Brand-new, youth-led group dedicated to using disruptive, direct action to resist fossil fuels," called for the firing of Jody Freeman, Archibald Cox Professor of Law at Harvard Law School:
BREAKING: we just fully shut down a “climate" event at Harvard.
Our demands are simple: stop harboring climate criminals, fire Professor Jody Freeman.
pic.twitter.com/ApJcpnVZAM— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) July 14, 2023
This is just the start. Blockades, occupations, and profound disruptions are imminent. Follow along @climatedefiance to learn how to be involved. (11/13)
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) July 14, 2023
We are explicitly committed to making life MISERABLE for the people torching the planet. We need funds to keep doing this. We need to raise $20K. Chip in here. END.https://t.co/XsyxfrYcRN
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) July 14, 2023
Law Students for Climate Accountability also joined in.
Professor Freeman is the founding director of Harvard's Environmental & Energy Law Program, established the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, and Co-Chairs the Presidential Committee on Sustainability. She served as President Obama's Counselor for Energy and Climate Change and worked with the Biden transition team developing the administration’s climate action plan. She has written extensively about climate change and is the second most cited public law scholar in the country. She has written several books, including Global Climate Change and U.S. Law (2023).
Professor Freeman has served on the Board of Directors of ConocoPhillips since 2012. In the spring, Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard called on Professor Freeman to step down from her position. After additional individuals and groups also called on her to step down from the board, Professor Freeman issued a statement on her personal website, Engagement Is Critical to Making Progress on Climate Change.
(Hat Tip: Jonathan Adler)
