The biospheric emergency calls for scientists to change tactics

Abstract

Our current economic and political structures have an increasingly devastating impact on the Earth’s climate and ecosystems: we are facing a biospheric emergency, with catastrophic consequences for both humans and the natural world on which we depend. Life scientists – including biologists, medical scientists, psychologists and public health experts – have had a crucial role in documenting the impacts of this emergency, but they have failed to drive governments to take action in order to prevent the situation from getting worse. Here we, as members of the movement Scientist Rebellion, call on life scientists to re-embrace advocacy and activism – which were once hallmarks of academia – in order to highlight the urgency and necessity of systemic change across our societies. We particularly emphasise the need for scientists to engage in nonviolent civil resistance, a form of public engagement which has proven to be highly effective in social struggles throughout history.

Australian young people's perspectives about the political determinants of the climate crisis

“…Buse and colleagues 46 have called upon the public health community to better advocate and engage with the public to help pressure decision‐makers to act on the climate crisis. Similarly, Racimo and colleagues 47 (p1) call on the public health community to “ re‐embrace advocacy and activism ” to drive political climate action. To drive rapid and effective climate action, we would argue that the first step is for the public health and health promotion community to urgently strengthen their commitment to collaborating with and empowering young people, and in advocating for changes in structures that currently block young people's meaningful participation in responses to the climate crisis.…”

Rethinking academia in a time of climate crisis

“…Both history and recent experience demonstrates that social movements can and do achieve change – in women’s suffrage, civil rights, and marriage equality ( Engler and Engler, 2016 ). Throughout history, universities have been fertile ground for major social movements, such as the anti-nuclear weapons movement, the anti-war and civil rights movements in the US, and environmental protection movements ( Dahlum, 2019 ; Russell et al, 1955 ; Brown and Silber, 1979 ; Racimo et al, 2022 ). Today, academic activists worldwide make crucial contributions to movements in domains including the climate crisis, health, LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights, social justice, economic inequality, and the hegemony of economic growth, amongst many others ( Capstick et al, 2022 ; Racimo et al, 2022 ; Dreifus, 2019 ; Barres, 2006 ; Tannam, 2018 ; George, 2020 ; Holmes, 2021 ; Hickel et al, 2022 ).…”

“…She has now inspired climate protests in more than 150 countries ( Barclay and Resnick, 2019 ). In this context, there are growing calls for universities to take a more active civic role and to embrace new academic practices, advocacy and more direct climate activism ( Aron, 2019 ; Capstick et al, 2022 ; Gardner et al, 2021 ; Racimo et al, 2022 ). By cultivating, enabling, and rewarding a culture of political advocacy and activism amongst academics, we can be empowered to translate our research beyond the pages of journal publications into real-world impact and action.…”

One hundred important questions for plant science – reflecting on a decade of plant research

“…In Defence of Plants by Matt Candeias, 2021, and Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing winner Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, 2021). In frustration at inadequate action on climate change and collapsing biodiversity, some scientists have become political activists (Pancost, 2022;Racimo et al, 2022) (A9a, A9b, A10). We did not imagine 10 years ago that a television programme would influence the political landscape the way Blue Planet II did for plastic pollution (May, 2018) (A10, A18).…”