US Scientists Engage in Civil Disobedience to Call for a Climate Revolution
April 6, 2022
Contact: xrnyc_press@unitedrebellion.com
In the US, scientists in Washington DC, Los Angeles, Portland and New York, with other climate activists from Extinction Rebellion, Science for the People (SftP), and Declare Emergency, carried out protests under the slogan “1.5°C is dead, climate revolution now!”.
On April 6th, over 1000 Scientist Rebellion activists took direct action targeting scientific, financial, and governmental institutions in over 25 countries, risking arrest in order to highlight the urgency and injustice of the climate and ecological crisis in the world’s largest ever scientist-led civil disobedience campaign. This comes just days after the release of the third part of the 6th IPCC report. An earlier version of the report leaked by the group last August has been watered-down by governments, removing important language from the document.
Dr. Rose Abramoff, a US climate change scientist, was arrested for chaining herself to the White House fence along with five other climate, indigenous and anti-pipeline activists. She warns that “we have not made the changes necessary to limit warming to 1.5°C, rendering this goal effectively impossible. We need to both understand the consequences of our inaction as well as limit fossil fuel emissions as much and as quickly as possible. As scientists, we tend to be risk-averse. We don’t want to risk our jobs, our reputations, and our time. But it is no longer sufficient to do our research and expect others to read our publications and understand the severity and urgency of the climate crisis. I’m taking action to urge governments and society to stop ignoring the collective findings of decades of research. Let’s make this crisis impossible to ignore.”
Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist, chained himself, along with 3 other scientists, to the front door of the JPMorgan Chase Los Angeles office. “I’m taking action because I feel desperate. I’ve tried so many things to get leaders to act and to wake up the public, but nothing has worked. It’s the eleventh hour in terms of Earth breakdown, and I feel terrified for my kids, and terrified for humanity. World leaders are still expanding the fossil fuel industry as fast as they can, but this is insane. The science clearly indicates that everything we hold dear is at risk, including even civilization itself and the wonderful, beautiful, cosmically precious life on this planet. I actually don’t get how any scientist who understands this could possibly stay on the sidelines at this point.” said Peter Kalmus. JPMorgan Chase is the world's largest funder of fossil fuels.
In Portland, 50 people participated, including seven scientists, in an action that targeted the Portland Business Alliance (PBA) headquarters and the City Council. Two scientists were arrested in the occupation. William Livernois, a materials scientist from Seattle, said “Yesterday I was arrested for occupying the entrance of the World Trade Center in solidarity with hundreds of scientists across the globe. I did this because I am overwhelmed and terrified in the face of climate and ecological destruction caused by climate change, and I feel obligated to use my voice and my body in whatever way I can to push for radical change. I find it completely unacceptable that organizations like the Portland Business Alliance have shut down climate initiatives despite the warnings from scientists and the Indigenous stewards of these lands about the deadly consequences of inaction, and I hope that others will step up to their role in this fight.”
In NYC, scientists and academics put up posters and handed out flyers outside the offices of Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and News Corporation demanding that they act in line with scientific guidance on the climate crisis.
Actions have also taken place in Italy (Rome, Turin, Venice), Denmark (Copenhagen), Spain (Madrid), the UK (London), Germany (Berlin), the Netherlands (The Hague), Portugal (Lisbon), Switzerland (Bern), Rwanda (Muanga), Sierra Leone, Colombia (Bogotá), Panamá, Ecuador (Quito), and Malawi (Lilongwe).
A short selection:
In Madrid, 58 of the roughly 80 people who took direct action were identified, with 20 proposed for sanction, after throwing fake blood on the facade of the National Congress in Spain and staging a peaceful sit down protest.
In Copenhagen, the street in front of the Climate Ministry was blocked by 40 people, half of them scientists, holding posters of scientific papers and reading the IPCC report. 10 scientists were detained temporarily, 2 were fined, and 2 other scientists were arrested.
In Venice, Turin and Rome, the premises of ENI (the largest Italian energy company) were occupied for 10 hours, with over 10 scientists locked-on and others pasting papers and performing a tragicomedy depicting human extinction after ignoring scientists’ advice. A workers’ entrance remained blocked for an hour. The activists demanded a public meeting with the ENI CEO on ENI’s decarbonisation strategy. At the end of the day, the meeting was denied. The activists left, but the campaign will carry on.
In Panamá, 10 scientists and 10 non-scientists protested at the US, German and UK embassies, calling for a climate revolution, an end to fossil fuels, and major financial support for the energy transition in the Global South. 500-1000 highschool students participated in climate marches throughout the country and climate talks took place at schools.
In The Netherlands, scientists blocked an entrance to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy in the Hague, calling for emergency action. They spoke about the climate emergency and read from the IPCC report; 7 were arrested. Additionally, over 50 scientists took part in a march through the Hague ahead of the action, giving speeches.
In Switzerland, 18 scientists marched to the Federal Square in Bern with banners and pasted climate science articles on the walls of the Federal Palace. The action was met with strong police control. All of the scientists were detained for an hour, including those who just held a banner, and they were banned from the capital for a day.
In Quito, Ecuador, a group of young scientists demanded that the Ministry of Environment stop their inconsistency and either step down from leading an international event ostensibly working towards a prosperous and healthy world, or give up trying to double the level of oil exploitation in the country.
In Lisbon, Portugal, three scientists displayed Scientist Rebellion posters outside the Environment and the Economy Ministries. The protest, picked up by local and social media, was peaceful and sowed the seeds of a movement in Portugal.
In Sierra Leone, an event with several stakeholders generated engagement and calls for climate action to policymakers. During the event, participants asked what real steps developed countries are actually taking to address the emergency.
In Lilongwe, Malawi, scientists held a teach-in at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources on the roles of policymakers in the IPCC report, along with the role of scientists in a climate emergency.
In Rwanda, scientists took to the streets, demanding emergency action. They also facilitated a teach-in in Muhanga City, where young people shared real-life stories of how the climate crisis is already affecting their communities and homes. Participants learned about the IPCC report and basic climate science; the lies, suffering, and injustice that severely harm people in the Global South; and how young people can be part of the solution.
Talks, teaching, outreach, and educational disobedience took place in countries including Argentina, Colombia and Nigeria involving hundreds of scientists and students. In Colombia, seven talks were given, four online and three in person, to a total of +200 people (including both academics and the broader public) about the impact of climate breakdown in the Global South and the need to decolonize activism.
These actions followed the release of the third part of the 6th IPCC report, which Scientist Rebellion leaked an early version of last August. As expected, the final report was watered-down by governments around the world in its calls for action and in blaming those most responsible for the crisis. In the IPCC press conference, however, UN Secretary General António Guterres reminded the global community of exactly what is at stake, stating: “This report is a litany of broken climate promises. We are on a fast-track to climate disaster. We are in a climate emergency.”
This is just the beginning. The next wave of actions will take place during COP27 this November with hopes that more scientists will take part.
Photos and videos for the event can be found here.
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Scientist Rebellion is a global group of activists from a variety of scientific backgrounds, calling on the scientific communities to stand in resistance to the genocidal direction of governments, before it’s too late. Scientist Rebellion’s positions and demands can be found here.
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SftP is a science-activist organization dedicated to building a radical political movement in science and society. Originally founded in 1969, SftP brings decades of organizing experience to the fight for a livable future. SftP is a leading voice in the radical science movement through its publishing arm, SftP Magazine, and participates in labor organizing/direct action on the ground through its many local chapters.