Image: Louise Gardner/Scientists for Extinction Rebellion
An activist-scientist explains why he took to the streets over climate change
It can be hard to know which events or facts to draw on to give a concise illustration of the perilous predicament humanity is in due to the climate and ecological crises.
Recent events can be a guide. Earlier in January, a heatwave of unprecedented ferocity engulfed swathes of the Southern Hemisphere, and Western Australia hit 50.7°C, the highest temperature ever recorded for that half of the planet.
To take another example, according to a report published in December 2021 by charity Save the Children based on data from the United Nations, more than 260,000 children may have died of malnourishment and related diseases in East Africa last year due to climate crisis-induced drought and crop failure. Such catastrophes are almost certain to increase in severity and frequency as carbon emissions also rise.
How should researchers, who have privileged access to knowledge of all aspects of the climate crisis, respond to it? For Charlie Gardner, associate senior lecturer at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology—affiliated with the University of Kent, UK—the answer lies in activism, which includes undertaking civil disobedience with the pressure group Extinction Rebellion (XR).
He outlined to Research Professional News the rationale behind his approach, the onus on scientists to act appropriately, and the impact on their careers.
On the role of researchers
“It is a real worry that many researchers are themselves unaware of the gravity of the crisis. If scientists, albeit scientists from other fields, but still people who have a curiosity about the world and access to information—if even they aren’t fully aware of how bad things are, then that must make us think that the general public are really in the dark.
“Accordingly, the first thing we have to do as individuals and scientists is speak about this as much as we can. People you know [will] trust you as an individual. And the general public trust us as scientists.”
On the role of universities
“Our academic institutions do need to change. As with academics, it’s about leading by example in the hope of triggering the rest of society to follow. Institutions and academics can join up to say that international conferences, for example, are just not compatible with the climate emergency.
“Yes, there are some downsides to virtual and regional conferences, but this is an emergency and an opportunity for leadership. If the academic sector was to do away with international in-person conferences, that would be a signal to the rest of society that unthinking aviation must end. This is something that could be changed without a huge amount of disruption or effort.”
On being an activist-scientist
“It’s presented to us that science, that research, is what’s required to get out of this crisis. But governments are the key actors here and they don’t respond, primarily, to evidence. They respond primarily to lobbying and secondarily to the public mood. Once we start to see that decision-making isn’t primarily about evidence, then we start to understand that it’s about power.
“Over the last few years I’ve woken up to the idea that the main tools scientists have to use—scientific papers—aren’t actually that powerful. That made me rethink my role as an individual. If my role is to achieve impact, and the tools I’m given are not great, then I need other tools. When I heard about XR in late 2018, I thought ‘This is what I’d wished had existed all this time and it hadn’t’.
“My actions, I hope, have extra power because I am a scientist. First, I have particular knowledge which is useful, and second, society has a certain faith in me. Conversely, inaction by scientists and experts—I worry—can send a very powerful signal that actually the crisis can’t be that bad at all. For conservationists and climate scientists, there’s a responsibility to act in accordance with what we’re saying. Otherwise, there’s a disconnect that doesn’t make sense to people.”
On research careers
“People say that activism might damage your reputation and therefore career. Personally, I’ve found the opposite. I was a little-known—mediocre, if you like—conservation scientist with a reputation limited to Madagascar before my activism began. Now I’m an activist-scientist, my reputation is much wider.
“But I think career concerns do play into why there aren’t more activist-scientists. To be any kind of academic, you need a laser focus on getting grant money in and knocking publications out. But activism and public engagement takes time.
“We rationally accept that a major crisis is unfolding, but it’s difficult to drop our dreams. We cannot accept that futures we’d hoped would be there for us, won’t. Many of us hold onto a logic of ‘I don’t want to do anything now that might jeopardise my dream future’.
“That logic no longer works because that future will not exist. You can bust a gut in the hopes of becoming a famous professor, but you have to look at the evidence and ask yourself if that’s actually going to happen. If you think not, ask yourself what you are working towards.
“There are no professorships on a dead planet.”
This is an extract from an article in Research Professional’s Funding Insight service. To subscribe contact sales@researchresearch.com