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Home / GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, Volume 28, Number 2

Open Access The concerns of the young protesters are justified: A statement by Scientists for Future concerning the protests for more climate protection

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In March 2019, German-speaking scientists and scholars calling themselves Scientists for Future, published a statement in support of the youth protesters in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (Fridays for Future, Klimastreik/Climate Strike), verifying the scientific evidence that the youth protestors refer to. In this article, they provide the full text of the statement, including the list of supporting facts (in both English and German) as well as an analysis of the results and impacts of the statement. Furthermore, they reflect on the challenges for scientists and scholars who feel a dual responsibility: on the one hand, to remain independent and politically neutral, and, on the other hand, to inform and warn societies of the dangers that lie ahead.

Keywords: Climate Strike; Fridays for Future; biodiversity; climate action; science-policy interface; sustainability crisis; youth movement

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Berlin, Germany 2: Institute for Sustainability, Berlin, Germany 3: ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 4: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany 5: German Climate Association, Berlin, Germany 6: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany 7: University of Applied Sciences HTW Berlin, Berlin, Germany 8: University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom 9: LUT University, Lappeenranta, Finland 10: Wiesbaden, Germany 11: University of Graz, Graz, Austria 12: Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability, Germany 13: Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany 14: UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany 15: University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Windisch, Switzerland 16: Forschungsstelle Nachhaltigkeit und Klimapolitik, Leipzig/Berlin, University of Rostock, Germany 17: German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), Berlin, Germany 18: Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany 19: German Advisory Council on the Environment, Berlin, Germany 20: Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany 21: WWF Germany 22: Alice Salomon Hochschule, Berlin, Germany 23: Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany 24: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria 25: Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany 26: Ecologic Institute, Berlin, Germany 27: Fridays for Future, Leipzig, Deutschland 28: Association for Vocational Training Research, Berlin, Germany 29: University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland 30: UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany 31: Technical University of Applied Sciences, Rosenheim, Germany 32: University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland 33: Doctors For Future Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit, Berlin, Germany 34: German Federal Association for Sustainability, Berlin, Germany 35: Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Centre for Geosciences - GFZ, Potsdam, Germany

Publication date: 01 January 2019

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