Kyoto Now!

Kyoto Now! (stylized as KyotoNOW!) is a student-led movement at colleges and universities across the United States {{Citation needed, date=February 2007, through which students hope to make American universities commit to reducing

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

emissions. The name of the movement reflects the

Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part ...

, which the USA currently is not considering ratifying. Cornell University's ''Kyoto Now!'

was the first of such groups formed, after a sit-in protest in then President Rawlings' office. The group demanded that the University commit "to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent below the 1990 levels of emissions by 2007. These reductions are not on a square foot basis, but based on the total campus emissions." Hal Craft, VP at the time, signed the Protocol, committing the University to emissions reductions, and the school is now on track to meet that commitment through construction of a combined heat and power plant that will take waste heat produced by the cogen plant and use it to heat the campus building

punk rock, Punk band

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

wrote a song called "Kyoto Now!" for their

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

album, ''

The Process of Belief ''The Process of Belief'' is the twelfth studio album by the American punk rock band Bad Religion. It was produced by its leaders Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz, and was released on January 22, 2002, through Epitaph Records. After touring in sup ...

'', which spoke about the

and their opinions on it. It can be considered an

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

for the ''Kyoto Now!'' movement. The writer of "Kyoto Now!",

Greg Graffin Gregory Walter Graffin (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer and evolutionary biologist. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and only constant member of punk rock band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1980. He embarked on a s ...

, is, in fact, an alumnus of Cornell University. Student political organizations