We are living in a climate emergency. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have raised the average global air temperature already by about 1°C above pre-industrial levels. Considering our current emissions pathways, the temperature increase could reach 1.5°C by 2030. And yet, little action has taken place to actually reduce our CO2 emissions. On top of this, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Chief executive officer of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, will lead the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai later this year. And a recent study in Science showed that Exxon precisely predicted already in the 1980s how the world is warming due to fossil fuel burning, yet being a global leader in climate change denial. And in fact, more and more scientists have the feeling that presenting the facts is not enough.
In this Town Hall meeting we would like to share different perspectives from the geosciences community on how we perceive the contrasting pace at which we produce knowledge and its implementation into policy change. How can we, as scientists, more effectively advocate for a rapid transition to a low-carbon future and secure a liveable and sustainable future for all?
If you would like to learn more about scientist rebellion and are interested in getting active, do not miss the splinter meeting SPM70 "Science and Climate activism (part 2): How to get involved (with Scientist Rebellion)?" on Friday at 12:45 in room 2.61.
Speakers
- Marthe Wens, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Stefan Rahmstorf, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany
- Rosa Pietroiusti, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium