SCIENTIST REBELLION: NORWEGIAN RESEARCHERS ARE PROTESTING CLIMATE INACTION
SCIENTIST REBELLION:
- NORWEGIAN RESEARCHERS ARE PROTESTING CLIMATE INACTION
Submitted by: Scientist Rebellion Norway
Photo: Victor Mandeval
The climate crisis is accelerating, and the Norwegian government continues to add fuel to the fire. Scientist Rebellion is now emerging in Norway, demanding that the government aligns its policies with the overwhelming scientific consensus.
Another summer of fires, floods and extreme weather has given us a glimpse of our future if we continue to ignore the climate and ecological crises. The need for urgent climate action has never been more clear. But demanding research-based climate and nature policies remains an uphill battle.
Our planet has passed 1,1 degrees of warming compared to preindustrial times, and the consequences for biodiversity, human lives and infrastructure are already catastrophic. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that the policies currently implemented by governments set us on a path towards 3,2 degrees of warming by the end of the century.
The IPCC has provided clear and feasible guidelines on how to avoid the worst of the climate disaster: The top priority for all governments should be to stop fossil fuel expansion. Despite this, Norwegian environmental policy ignores and goes directly against this unanimous message from the UN and the scientific community. In late June, the government approved 19 new oil and gas projects, in line with its policy of “developing, not ending” the fossil fuel era.
The extreme weather Hans wreaked havoc across large parts of southern Norway this August. Floods and landslides took houses, blocked major transport routes, and forced thousands to evacuate. This catastrophe revealed how vulnerable we are to climate disasters increasingly becoming more frequent and intense. It also showed us that Norway will not be spared from the most severe consequences of the climate crisis.
What can you do?
We are headed towards a future of accelerating environmental degradation and climate disruption. By developing new oil projects, the Norwegian government is exporting harm across the globe for decades to come. Many feel helpless in the face of such stubbornness actively worsening a crisis that could be avoided. Research shows that civil disobedience is democracy’s most efficient tool to trigger rapid action against such structural societal injustices.
Scientist Rebellion is a global organization of researchers using civil disobedience to fight climate action. As politicians are willfully ignoring science, we take the scientific truth about the climate- and nature crises to the street, defending the importance of a sciencebased climate debate. Scientists have a highly respected voice in the public space, which is both a privilege and a responsibility
Scientist Rebellion includes everyone who adheres to the scientific method, from professors to students. If you want to learn more, contribute, or even start a local group in Ås, contact us on Instagram @SciRebelNorway, or email ScientistRebellionNorway@ protonmail.com. Our national network will welcome and support you.
The science about the climate and nature crises is clear, but the government continue prioritizing short-term profit over our common future. Scientists can no longer stand politely on the sidelines.
