Dear students, Dear Studierendenwerk, Dear Mr. Magull,
Lunchtime in a canteen is an important part of our everyday student life. It is not only a
place to eat, but also a place to get together and chat with other students. After around
three years of long queues, the hectic atmosphere in all the canteens and the meager
options at the Lunchbox, we are looking forward to soon being able to eat in a modern
Nordmensa at the North Campus.
We lost our appetite all the more when, after repeated inquiries, we learned that the
Studierendenwerk is planning to build a gas-fired power plant on the roof of the new
Nordmensa. We cannot allow this and are therefore writing this open letter to the student
body, Studierendenwerk and its director Jörg Magull.
We are in the year 2024, 8 years after the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement. It is
clear to all of us that the climate crisis will determine the lives of us young people in
particular. Fossil fuels must be phased out as quickly as possible in all areas and replaced
by renewable energies. On the way there, fossil gas is not a „bridging technology“, but
merely a repetition of mistakes that have already been made.
Not only since the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine have we known that
dependence on energy supplies from such regimes can lead to drastic increases in the
cost of living and thus to existential burdens, not only for students. If the Studierendwerk
continues to depend on fossil gas, the inevitable rise in gas prices will ultimately lead to
higher prices for students in the canteen.
The science campus of the „Stadt, die Wissen schafft“ should be a role model in terms of
sustainability and technological progress. On the part of the Studierendenwerk under the
management of Jörg Magull, however, we observe a lack of transparency instead of an
awareness of the problem or a willingness to take responsibility. At the same time,
Göttingen’s canteens bask in their good reputation throughout Germany, which is based
not least on alleged sustainability. This green veneer is apparently just a facade in front of
short-sighted energy planning.
One of the purposes of the Studierendenwerk is to look after the health of students. A
gas-fired power plant that destroys our livelihoods has the opposite effect. It should be a
matter of course that the Studierendenwerk acts in our interests and does not keep
outdated construction plans and information under lock and key. As a student body, we
expect the Studierendenwerk to represent our interests with foresight. After all, it is
co-financed by all of us.
It is inconceivable to build new fossil fuel infrastructure in this day and age, especially
as the climate crisis was already well known when the project was planned and should
have been taken into account. The urgency of the situation requires a change to the
construction plans that include an alternative and truly sustainable heating concept. For
example, modern high-temperature heat pumps that can reach 90°C to 130°C could be
combined with efficient waste heat recovery. As decision-makers at the
Studierendenwerk and the university, you can no longer hide behind financial plans that
have already been made or blame each other. Public institutions have a function as role
models, especially if they are committed to science, teaching and the common good.
When we learn about the climate crisis, its geophysical mechanisms and its effects on
ecosystems, agriculture and forests in lectures, we cannot then eat in a canteen whose
operation is exacerbating this crisis. We demand that you, the Studierendenwerk, live up
to your responsibility by providing 100% renewable energy for the new Nordmensa. We
expect complete transparency in the future and therefore demand the publication of the
construction plans.
The Nordmensa has the chance to become what a modern canteen should be: a
place where we can meet and enjoy a delicious meal together. A place that enables us
to lead a lifestyle that does not jeopardize our existence. A place that turns knowledge
about the climate crisis into action for a climate-friendly world. This is the canteen we
need and demand!
Investments in fossil fuel technologies are not reasonable in view of the climate crisis and Germany’s goal of greenhouse neutrality. The demands of students and climate activists for alternative, low-CO2 technologies to supply their canteen with energy are therefore well-founded. Their arguments are factually correct.
Co-signed by Scientists For Future Göttingen
Signed by:
- Fachgruppe Informatik
- Grün und Technik
- FSR Mathematik, Informatik, Data Science
- FSR Physik
- Fachschaft Chemie
- Fachgruppe Geographie
- Fachgruppe Data Science
- Fachgruppe Biochemie
- Fachgruppe Biologie und Biodiversität
- Fachgruppe Ökosystemmanagement
- Fachgruppe Politikwissenschaften
- AStA Göttingen
- Grüne Hochschulgruppe
- End Fossil: Occupy! Göttingen
- Students for Future Göttingen
- Jusos Göttingen