As a scientist, I take action because I want to tell society that the world is heading in the wrong direction. I take action to drive the transition forward, in the hope that people will eventually realise that things have to change.
The biggest stumbling block at the moment is the fossil fuel subsidies that have been going to Shell and Schiphol every year for as long as anyone can remember, with no plan in place to phase them out. We must continue to argue that this is a dangerous path to take and that more than enough solar, wind and bioenergy can be generated if only the fossil fuel industry were to scale back its operations.
Sjoerd Kluiving is an Associate Professor of Anthropocene Studies and Geoarchaeology at VU Amsterdam. As well as being involved with Scientist Rebellion, Sjoerd teaches, conducts research into the Anthropocene and organises numerous sessions, meetings and conferences in the fields of sustainability and regenerative business leadership.