Flere af forskene bag FN´s omfattende klimarapporter opfordrer folk til at blive klimaaktivister og engagere sig i bestræbelserne på at begrænse global overophedning.

Som en del af COP 28-forhandlingerne opfordrer Scientist Rebellion desuden folk til at underskrive et åbent brev, hvor man anmoder regeringerne om at tage klimavidenskaben alvorligt og træffe meningsfulde foranstaltninger, mens der stadig er tid.

Brevet er allerede underskrevet af mere end 1400 videnskabsfolk og over 30 forskere fra FN’s klimapanel, IPCC, herunder Wolfgang Cramer, der var en del af holdet, der lavede den 6. IPCC-klimarapport. Det er den rapport, der advarede om, at verden kun havde 12 år tilbage til at løse sit overophedningsproblem, før den styrter ud i en uoprettelig klimakrise, der vil gøre jorden ubeboelig for de fleste mennesker.

“Vi er rædselsslagne,” advarer forskerne. “Vi har brug for dig.”

“Hvor end du er, så bliv en fortaler eller aktivist for klimaet,” anråber brevet, offentliggjort af Scientist Rebellion. “Deltag i eller start grupper, der arbejder for politikker, der hjælper med at sikre en bedre fremtid. Kontakt grupper, der er aktive der, hvor du er, find ud af, hvornår de mødes og deltag i deres møder.

“Hvis vi skal skabe en beboelig fremtid, skal klimahandling gå fra at være noget, som andre gør, til noget, som vi alle gør.”

“Ingen lande handler i overensstemmelse med Paris aftalen,” lyder brevet fra Scientist Rebellion. “At fortsætte på denne vej vil medføre utallige lidelser. Store dele af vores planet vil blive ubeboelige, skabe hundredvis af millioner af flygtninge, uset hungersnød og alvorlige politiske konflikter.”

Men “vi behøver ikke at overgive os til denne fremtid”, insisterer brevet. “Løsningerne er tilgængelige”, men deres implementering afhænger af en “storskalamobilisering af samfundet” for at overvinde særinteresser, der profiterer fra status quo.

“Vi er nødt til hurtigt at udfase fossile brændstoffer, men alligevel bliver Cop28 ledet af direktøren for et olieselskab, hvilket illustrerer den dybtgående indflydelse af denne indgroede magt,” tilføjer brevet.

En anden forsker fra den 6. IPPC rapport, Minal Pathak, udtaler til The Guardian: “På et tidspunkt troede jeg, at det at skrive indflydelsesrige artikler i tidsskrifter af høj kvalitet eller offentliggøre FN-rapporter var vejen frem for at lægge beviserne frem,” sagde hun. “Men åbenbart virker det ikke, vel? Eller det virker ikke, som det burde. Jeg er virkelig, virkelig skuffet over, hvordan tingene udvikler sig. Jeg har en teenage-datter, og jeg har set det ske over et årti. Hvad skal der egentlig til for at handle?”

 

Den fulde ordlyd af brevet kan læses her:

“We are a large and diverse group of scientists and academics writing to you from every continent. First, we were concerned. Then, we were alarmed. Now, we are terrified. World leaders have known about the dangers of the climate crisis for decades, but they are not acting accordingly. It is still possible to turn the tide – but we need you.

None of the climate disasters unfolding before our eyes were inevitable. In 1992, virtually all countries promised to avoid “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”. 27 global UN climate conferences (known as Conferences of the Parties, or COPs) later, carbon emissions are 60% higher than they were in 1992. Our political leaders are catastrophically failing us.

No country is taking action in line with a 1.5°C pathway, the temperature limit aspired to in the Paris Agreement. Some of the world’s richest and highest-emitting countries continue to approve new oil and gas fields, to subsidise fossil fuels with trillions of dollars every year, and to engage in destructive agricultural practices. Rich countries, which have contributed most to the climate crisis, pretend they have decades left to decarbonize, while poor countries bear the brunt of impacts without adequate compensation or help. Those who demand justice and accountability are increasingly being persecuted.

Continuing on this path will mean untold suffering. Large parts of our planet will become uninhabitable, creating hundreds of millions of refugees, unprecedented famines, and severe political conflicts.

We do not have to surrender to this future. But the window of opportunity to secure an alternative, livable future is rapidly closing. The task is enormous: the IPCC notes that “targeting a climate resilient, sustainable world involves fundamental changes to how society functions, including changes to underlying values, worldviews, ideologies, social structures, political and economic systems, and power relationships.”

These deep, structural changes can improve our quality of life. We have the prospect of less polluted environments, healthier food, and more time for the things that matter. Resources can be better distributed – both within countries and internationally – rather than accumulated by the few at the expense of the many.

The solutions are available. What is preventing adequate action is vested interests and entrenched power – institutions, corporations, and wealthy individuals who benefit from the destructive status quo. We need to rapidly phase out fossil fuels, yet COP28 is being chaired by the CEO of an oil company, illustrating the profound influence of this entrenched power.

Overcoming these vested interests requires a large-scale mobilisation of society. It has happened before: without strong social movements, there would be no civil rights, no women’s right to vote, no weekends, no holidays, nor much of the welfare that considerable parts of the world enjoy today. And it can happen again: citizens in the Netherlands recently forced their government to plan a phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies, while people in Ecuador prevented oil extraction in the Amazonian Yasuni National Park.

But we need you. Wherever you are, become a climate advocate or activist. Join or start groups pushing for policies that help secure a better future. Contact groups that are active where you are, find out when they meet and attend their meetings. Find out what kind of engagement suits you best and talk to friends, family, and colleagues to spread the word. If we are to create a livable future, climate action must move from being something that others do to something that we all do.

As scientists and academics, we believe it is now necessary to step up and engage in collective climate action. Like thousands of people around the world, many of us have been advocating and protesting for a better world in a variety of ways, including peaceful civil disobedience.”

 

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Kilder: The Guardian, cleantechnica.com, scientistrebellion.org.