Declaration of support
Scientists endorse mass civil disobedience to force climate action
B.C. scientists are among more than 1,000 academics worldwide who have signed a declaration of support for civil disobedience to protest inaction by world leaders on the climate and ecological crisis.
The scientists also support Extinction Rebellion, the global movement which is planning marches in several Canadian cities today, including Vancouver, to demand action.
David Costalago, an aquatic ecologist at the University of B.C.’S Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, says he signed the declaration because he wants to show public support for the movement.
“It was an obvious decision for me. I think it’s important for scientists to sign because for years they have been talking about this, 20 years ago we were sounding the alarm about climate change, and yet nothing has been done,” he said. “As scientists we have failed to take the message across in an effective way. Now we need to raise the alarm.”
Costalago says the movement is creating a critical mass that he hopes will put pressure on governments to make urgent changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Among his studies are declining fish populations. He says zooplankton are very sensitive to environmental changes, and if the water gets too warm or acidic they will likely die off and there will be a food shortage for many species of fish.
The scientists invited to sign the declaration are those holding a master’s degree or working on a PHD and are asked to state the university and fields in which they work.
“It was an obvious decision for me. I think it’s important for scientists to sign because for years they have been talking about this, 20 years ago we were sounding the alarm about climate change, and yet nothing has been done.” David Costalago
Aquatic ecologist at the University of B.C.’S Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
“As scientists, we have dedicated our lives to the study and understanding of the world and our place in it. We declare that scientific evidence shows beyond any reasonable doubt that human-caused changes to the Earth’s land, sea and air are severely threatening the habitability of our planet. We further declare that overwhelming evidence shows that if global greenhouse gas emissions are not brought rapidly down to net zero and biodiversity loss is not halted, we risk catastrophic and irreversible damage to our planetary life-support systems, causing incalculable human suffering and many deaths,” the declaration says.
Extinction Rebellion is a growing global movement of climate activists staging protests and die-ins to draw attention to inaction on the climate crisis. It began in the U.K. about a year ago and now has chapters in cities around the world, including Vancouver.
Vancouver’s chapter of Extinction Rebellion activists plan to ‘snake march’ through Downtown Vancouver during the afternoon rush hour in protest of government inaction on the climate crisis.
Vancouver’s protest coincides with a planned demonstration Friday in Edmonton, where teen climate activist Greta Thunberg plans to march from a downtown Edmonton park to a climate rally at the Alberta legislature.
A group of oil and gas supporters is planning a counterrally at the same time.
Thunberg has been making international headlines for criticizing world leaders, who she accuses of letting down youth by doing too little to tackle climate change.
The teen is calling on leaders to listen to the scientists.
Millions of people around the world have been protesting, and the movement has grown following a 2018 United Nations IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming. The dire report, by the world’s leading climate scientists, warns there is only 12 years to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 C. After that, they warn there will be catastrophic change on the planet, including increased drought, heat, wildfires and floods. As well, a separate UN report warned one million specials of animals are at risk of going extinct.