Extinction Rebellion-supporting scientists compare actions to Gandhi and suffragettes
An Oxford scientist and two other members of XR Scientists, a subset of Extinction Rebellion, have compared their campaigning to the actions of Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks and the suffragettes as they appeal for more academics to join protests.
Tristram Wyatt, from the University of Oxford; Charlie Gardner, from the University of Kent; and Aaron Thierry, from Cardiff University, wrote an article for the Royal Society Open Science journal urging more scientists to partake in protests and acts of “civil disobedience”.
The scientists said conventional methods of “producing ever more data and findings, writing papers and giving advice to governments” have been insufficient to trigger suitable action from policy makers.
They urged scientists to “consider civil disobedience” as a way to exert “the maximum amount of influence”.
In their opinion article, the scientists said: “We can be inspired by and learn from the history of peaceful civil disobedience (civil resistance), from the suffragettes, Mahatma Gandhi and the non-violent campaign for Indian independence, Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott organised by Martin Luther King Jnr, and which have been instrumental in gaining votes for women, independence for India, civil rights, and LGBT rights.
“One aim of civil disobedience is to cut through the societal silence around climate change, to influence politicians and the public,” they added.
“To be ‘news-worthy’, protest actions usually require a disruptive, provocative or shocking element.”
The hard-line environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion has previously staged slow walks through London, shutting down major bridges; held a naked protest in the House of Commons, leading to a dozen arrests; sprayed fake blood on the Treasury building; targeted newspaper printing presses, including of The Telegraph; climbed atop aeroplanes and also scaled Big Ben dressed as Boris Johnson.
“We believe that climate protest including collective direct action and civil disobedience may be the most effective way of catalysing the changes the world so desperately needs,” the three members of XR Scientists write.
“We need to be recruiting many more scientists, to take on the many different kinds of roles in activism. Key to our effectiveness will be working together with other social movements, in all their diversity.”
They add that they hope their article “will help serve as a guide” and reassure budding environmental protesters that “the path to scientific activism is a reasonable and rewarding one”.
They conclude: “Given what we know, we must help support, defend and participate in those movements pushing for transformative change! Join us!”
The Royal Society itself is criticised by the scientists for not denouncing the UK Government’s licensing of new oil and gas.
Other “silent senior scientists” are also criticised, as are universities and organisations that receive donations from some fossil fuel companies.
When asked about publication of the piece, a spokesman for the Royal Society said: “Royal Society Open Science encourages the submission of articles on topics at the intersection of science, society and public policy.
“The Royal Society has been a leader on the science of climate change for decades and remains strongly committed to ensuring that the harms and risks of climate change are addressed.
“For many years our work focused on the battle to get recognition of the evidence of human induced climate change and its impacts. That involved taking on groups who wilfully tried to distort and misrepresent the scientific evidence.
“In recent years, our main focus has been accelerating solutions to meeting energy needs and tackling climate change, given how imperative it is that greenhouse gas emissions be reduced at a faster pace.”
