Science to Action: Practical Skills for Scientists to Participate in and Support Nonviolent Grassroots Activism

For decades, scientists have been sounding the alarm about the climate and ecological crisis. Each successive report has delivered alarming findings, yet these warnings have been met with political inertia and an insufficient international response. Consequently, the disastrous effects of human activity on land, water, and atmosphere persist, surpassing the Earth's system boundaries and posing existential threats to both nature and humanity [1,2]. At the same time, an impassioned climate movement has emerged, led primarily by young activists and most-affected peoples demanding immediate climate action [3]. Inspired by this movement, scientists and academics are increasingly taking on roles that directly address the imbalance of power that prevents meaningful climate action [4,5,6]. In collaboration with historically marginalized communities and activists, scientists can engage in a variety of tactics to apply pressure on those in power to take action.  This workshop is for those researchers who wish to gain practical skills in grassroots organizing. Lessons learned in this workshop can be applied to supporting intersectional movements but will focus primarily on climate justice and harnessing the particular leverage held by academics and Earth scientists. Learning goals include understanding common and emerging strategies of grassroots organizing, including ways to build collective power and practice nonviolence. We will cover overarching principles and strategies, with specific examples from organizers, as well as practical aspects of participating in and organizing with nonviolent movements. Participants will think critically about power and outcomes, as well as action design, interacting with law enforcement, emotional self-regulation, and de-escalation. We will end with a written reflection. References: [1] IPCC AR6 SYR 2023 [2] Rockström et al. 2023 Nature [3] Shuman et al. 2021 JPSP [4] Artico et al. 2023 Front Sustain [5] Capstick et al. 2022 Nat. Clim. Chang. [6] Gardner et al. 2021 Front Sustain

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