A group of Penn State faculty members and climate change activists are holding a petition, named Care2, delivery event today at 11 a.m. in front of Old Main. A group of Penn State employees will read and deliver the petition to the university, which is asking the university to take bold action and commit to zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The petition, started by Peter Buckland of Penn State’s Sustainability Institute and Jonathan Brockopp, an assistant professor of History and Religious Studies, garnered 7,089 signatures before its deadline of November 30 (though it had a goal of 8,000). The two say that Penn State reduced its emissions by 20 percent from the 2005 levels, and there is a plan to reduce emissions by 35 percent, but hope to see total carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Care2 authors and supports will present the petition to President Barron, Provost Nick Jones, and Senior Vice President of Finance and Business David Gray. Explicitly, the petition is asking the administration for three things: to create a task force to set a “Getting To Zero” plan to be achieved by 2050, make a public statement committing to combating climate change, and “identify and revise policies that currently limit efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through its operations, purchasing, and investments,” according to a release.

Students, faculty, staff, and climate change activists are all invited to attend the presentation of the petition. The Care2 petition is being delivered in correspondence with the Paris Climate Conference, where world leaders are meeting to discuss limiting greenhouse gases and avert the effects of climate changes.