Recently, President Obama and other world leaders decided to excuse themselves from negotiating a legally binding international climate change treaty in Copenhagen this December. We understand that global negotiations are challenging. We understand that the issues are complex. We understand that there are big divides and varying goals, needs and opinions. Of course, we also understand that the scientific community is at a consensus that human-caused global warming exists and that it could have catastrophic consequences. For the majority of human history, Earth’s atmosphere contained 275 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide. We are currently at 390 and that number continues to rise. According to climate experts, the highest safe level of carbon in our atmosphere is 350 ppm. Despite the worsening situation, our world leaders still refuse to negotiate with each other, and while we can understand and appreciate the challenges they face, we also know that these numbers are only increasing.

Recently, the costs of climate disruption have become increasingly apparent. The rapidly receding Himalayan glaciers may disappear by 2035. The runoff from these glaciers feeds into rivers that in turn provide drinking water for 500 million people. Where will they get their drinking water post-2035? Many scientists now believe that the Arctic will begin to experience ice-free summers between 2011 and 2015. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that there will be 150 million climate change refugees by 2050. These dramatic changes will exasperate already existing challenges. They will disrupt crops and increase hunger. Increasing numbers of refugees will inevitably bring poverty and quite possibly violent conflict. Climate disruption exacerbates the tension of already existing divisions between developed and developing nations, between different lifestyles and different nations. Climate change is no longer an environmental problem. It is now a social, political, and ethical problem.

The scale of climate disruption is undeniably daunting, but at the same time, this very scale provides the global community with an opportunity to work together to develop lasting solutions to many of our current dilemmas. Can’t we develop green jobs that boost the global economy? Can’t we provide the homeless with properly weatherized and energy efficient homes? Can’t we learn to respect each other through tackling this common challenge? Can’t we create a more sustainable lifestyle and set of values that prioritizes people above materials? Can’t we work for a sustainable progress that thrives on just practices and relations?

In face of all these challenges, what can we do without the help of our leaders? When our leaders fail, to whom do we turn? The Massachusetts-focused Leadership Campaign has an answer: we must turn to ourselves to lead the way to a secure future. The Leadership Campaign is a political, environmental, and social campaign that is made up of hundreds of students across the state who stand together in support of the policy that reflects the science of the situation. Students and community members involved in the campaign are stepping up as leaders and through this action, urging citizens, their commonwealth, and their nation to become leaders as well. The campaign has drafted a bill calling for 100 percent clean electricity in Massachusetts by 2020. To show just how serious they are, campaign activists are in the process of hosting an extended sleep out, refusing to sleep in buildings fueled by dirty electricity. This event began on October 24, the International Day of Climate Action, and will continue through December 7, the beginning of the International Climate talks in Copenhagen. On Monday through Saturday nights, students, including those at Tufts, sleep outside on their campuses. On Sunday nights, everyone comes together to sleep out on the Boston Common, and on Monday mornings, they lobby at the state house. These dedicated activists have gained the attention of their communities and the media. NASA scientist James Hansen and environmentalist Bill McKibben have joined them for nights on the Common. This Tuesday, they met with Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) and discussed their grievances with him. He expressed his willingness to work with the campaign. They have earned hundreds of followers. They have taken action.

The Leadership Campaign is democracy at its best. It is made up of men and women demanding that the government act on behalf of the people. They ask for a policy that tackles challenges with innovative solutions. Join them. The world leaders have shown that they lack the will required to make the decisions that our current situation requires. They may not be willing to negotiate with each other, but let’s show them that we refuse to negotiate with them: We want nothing less than 100 percent clean electricity and no more than 350 ppm. World leaders, this is your job, but if you do not lead, do not expect us to follow your inaction.