Scientists join climate march

Last Sunday, tens of thousands of protesters led by Greta Thunberg walked from Dam Square to Museumplein in Amsterdam. They called out for better climate policy, although some took the opportunity to say something about the war in Gaza. 

Many scientists also joined, dozens of whom had donned lab coats for better recognisability. The privilege to know, the duty to act was one of the slogans on the banners. 

Motivated
One of them was Assistant Professor Marthe Wens (VU Amsterdam) of the action group Scientist Rebellion. She researches the consequences of drought. “I just see the impact of drought, especially for vulnerable communities to which water already presents a problem. I’m constantly forced to show them a future to which they can’t really adapt. This has motivated me to take a stand for the climate. I have to do more than just carry out research.”

But there are also plenty of scientists who hardly deal with the climate in their own work but are still concerned, she says. “We’re currently looking into how we can disseminate climate knowledge in education. Because why should someone who studies economics, for example, not know anything about the consequences of climate change?”

Under the motto Cut the ties, Marthe Wens and other researchers are campaigning to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry. Last week, they called upon the research funding body NWO and academic society KNAW to critically assess such collaboration. 

Answer
They’ve now received an answer. “We share your concerns”, write both NWO and the KNAW. But research funding body NWO doesn’t wish to cut ties with the fossil industry just like that. This is said to be “too simple an appeal for too complex an issue”. The research funding body would prefer an open discussion with the fossil industry, the authors of the letter and the KNAW.

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) would also like to discuss things first, both within its own institutes and within science at large. The first debate was held last month. Scientists from different disciplines will be given the opportunity to speak, as well as administrators, researchers representing business and “more critical voices in science”.