He International Science Council and its members have long been proud champions and practitioners. Evidence-informed policymaking. Advising decision-makers at national, regional and global levels on wide-ranging policies. International science NGOs like the ISC have produced hundreds of statements. Declarations and reports, supported by thousands of peer-reviewed papers. As well as hosting countless events and workshops. These multiple outputs continue to draw on a wealth of existing. Knowledge and technologies that are ready to be applied for environmental and societal benefit, if the political will is there.

But it is increasingly

Evident that the political will is not there that the current trajectory of national and multilateral. Policymaking is either too slow or heading in the wrong direction entirely. With politics appearing to disengage from environmental crises in many countries e.g. Spiers, 2024. Meanwhile, the world is getting hotter, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Extreme weather events are more frequent, the disparity between the rich and poor more acute. And our world is in the middle of a sixth mass extinction.

The starkest example

Of political failure is the policy response to climate change. The scientific consensus that humans are altering the climate is overwhelming (The Guardian, 2021; The Conversation, 2021) .But traditional scientific interventions (government scientific advisors, advisory bodies, statements, reports, workshops etc). Are not getting sufficient policy traction. Yet still the science telegram database users list community continues. To mass-produce well-intentioned outputs regardless,  scientists do?

Science activism

Exasperated with the lack of political 7 best wordpress form builder plugins progress, and on the principle that scientists have an obligation not just to describe and understand the natural world but also to play an active part in helping to protect it, some scientists have turned to more activist approaches to convey their messages and draw attention to the climate and ecological line data crises (Nature, 2024). Continued government inaction, they believe, now justifies direct action.

A growing number of scientists

Are getting involved in science activism all over the world (The Conversation, 2023), including supporting NGOs and professional lobby groups – like Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund and Friends of the Earth – and more disruptive, bottom-up social movements. The global movement XR (Extinction Rebellion), for example, includes a growing scientific community – Scientific Rebellion – that provides a platform to inform, educate, share and rally support and is located in over 30 countries (you can read their declaration of support here). This community produces newsletters, run talks, events, campaigns and demonstrations to help scientists transition to more active roles. Any scientist in any discipline, anywhere in the world, can get involved.

Science activism

Can take many forms and can best be illustrated as an iceberg of actions (Figure 1). Those operating in the orange area – demonstrating publicly and practicing civil disobedience – are supported by many others working behind the scenes in the blue area. Scientists do not have to be arrested to be more activist, but history tells us it is a necessary part of any impactful social movement.

Figure 1: Science activism as an iceberg of actions (source adapted from: Home — Scientist Rebellion)

Informed by the climate justice, Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, a new generation of science activists are beginning to shift the cultural norms of science, including institutional acceptance and engagement, and perhaps even research evaluation in time. Indeed, there are early indications that science activism may be gaining legitimacy within the scientific community, fuelled by social media (Tormos-Aponte et al, 2023). But science activism should supplement not replace the more traditional efforts of international non-government science organizations.

Rewards and risks

Science activism is a trade-off of rewards and risks. It can add societal purpose to research, connect scientists to society (and to each other), and help political decisions be addressed in meaningful and rigorous ways. Activism is a way to protest against glaring injustices perpetuated by laws, policies and economies fuelling climate and ecological crises. Just look at the recent landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in April 2024 that political inaction on climate does violate human rights.