*Scientists are rebelling*

For the past two years, I have been involved in the international movement @ScientistRebellion. SR brings together researchers from different scientific backgrounds, who all believe that the ecological emergency poses an existential threat to our ongoing survival on this planet, and that we have an obligation to do something about it.

“If we scientists don’t act like we’re in an emergency, how can we expect the public to do so?"

https://scientistrebellion.com/about-us/

2/11

*Examples from Denmark*

In the Danish group of Scientist Rebellion, we have organised various kinds of non-violent direct actions — such as teach-ins and road blockades — that involve different levels of civil disobedience.

Here is a picture from one of our actions in the spring, where we blocked all the roads to the Danish parliament together with XR, Greenpeace, and other green organisation in Denmark.

3/11

*A growing movement of researchers*

And we are far from alone. More and more people within academia are calling for their colleagues to take action and engage in new forms of activism. Here is an example from Nature earlier this year: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01461-y

4/11

*Time to change tactics*

The main point is this: If we, as researchers, really believe that the house is on fire — that the ecological crises pose an existential threat — how can we keep on doing all the same things as before?

Is it enough to observe and describe, and to publish our findings in prestigious journals? Is it not time to shift our tactics?

See for example this recent article written by my colleague and co-activist @FerRacimo among others: https://elifesciences.org/articles/83292.

5/11

*Many researchers are hesitant to act politically*

One of the barriers preventing scholars from engaging in political activism is the fear that they might be perceived as less trustworthy by doing so. But if we look at the research that fear might very well be overstated.

6/11

*Advocacy does not necessarily make researchers less credible*

Recent empirical studies suggest not only that scientists who advocate politically are perceived as equally trustworthy as their non-advocate counterparts: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17524032.2016.1275736

But also that citizens are more likely to support researchers whose actions are in alignment with their political beliefs: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-019-02463-0

7/11

*Citizens expect researchers to act politically*

In fact, a recent study found that citizens in Germany and the US expect and support political advocacy from climate researchers — with the caveat that they remained divided on the question of outright protest: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abd4ac

Interestingly, researchers who advocated politically, while considered less objective, were perceived to be acting more "in the interest of society" than their non-advocate counterparts.

8/11

*Must we all become activists then?*

In sum, there are good reasons why some researchers might want to engage in climate activism.

That does not mean, however, that everyone must hit the streets or engage in civil disobedience — especially when considering the different levels of risk that exist in different contexts and across gendered and racialized lines.

But it does encourage all of us to rethink how, and to what extent, we might act and push for change in our role as researchers.

9/11

*We might not save the world*

To end on a slightly more personal note, I am not naive about the effects of these small instances of civil disobedience. For me, they are part of a much larger palette of actions that are needed to initiate the deep structural transformations of our societies that are required.

Whether these changes will happen “in time” (whatever that means) seems more and more unlikely. It remains what a colleague of mine likes to call "an improbably necessity."

10/11

*But we can at least try together!*

Taking part in activism is one of the few places where, for once, I get to act in concert with others, who care as deeply about these issues, as I do.

And although the context is gloomy, and although it can be scary to put one’s career and reputation on the line, the act of collective resistance is, for the most part, full of of joy, community, and a sense of togetherness. 🔥

11/11

@madsejsing @academicchatter @politicalscience @sociology

thank you for sharing and all your work. look forward to reading thread and learning more.

i'm not in academia but wanted to see what/how to bring this into my #PublicHealt work.

@madsejsing @academicchatter @politicalscience @sociology

I have a session every year in my 4th year energy policy and governance course on the role of the scientist in society, including the role of activism. It's always an interesting discussion as the course is mainly students getting science (natural resource conservation or forestry) or engineering degrees.