Scientists & academics engaging in civil disobedience to secure a livable future
Here we regularly publish articles by scientists affiliated with SR. In these articles, they shed light on climate change and its consequences from their personal expertise.
Chikungunya is an infectious disease that causes, among other things, severe and prolonged joint inflammation. For a long time, we considered chikungunya, malaria, dengue and Zika to be (sub)tropical diseases that posed little threat to Western Europe. But is that still true? Recent research sheds light on whether climate change is bringing these diseases our … Read more
The first warm days of the year are arriving earlier and earlier and are also getting warmer. That may be pleasant for people who are tired of the dreary winter. But it is also a result of climate change, with all its serious consequences. I, too, have enjoyed the beautiful spring weather these days, because … Read more
At the end of January, De Staat van ons Klimaat (The State of Our Climate), the KNMI’s annual report on the year 2025, was published. The report confirms the continuing trend of warming that began during the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. The consequences are serious: extreme weather, drought and flooding, and increased … Read more
Europe’s water reserves are under pressure. Satellite data show clear declines in water storage across large parts of southern and central Europe over the past two decades, while wetter trends dominate further north. These findings are worrying, policy-relevant and deserving of attention. Jan Verkade But when reporting on such results, precision matters. The recent Guardian … Read more
Climate sceptics, led by President Trump, were quick to jump on the bandwagon when extreme cold weather hit the US at the end of January 2026. Trump posted on his ‘Truth Social’ account: “Rarely seen anything like it before. Could the Environmental Insurrectionists please explain – WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???” He was promptly served … Read more
Coral reefs act as climate sensors: since the first bleaching was observed in the 1980s, they have consistently shown the impact of warming and acidification. Overfishing, nutrient pollution and disease have pushed these fragile ecosystems to a critical tipping point, if they have not already passed it. The question is whether recovery is still possible. … Read more
“Good” climate communication is often thought to consist of accurate facts: whether climate change exists (yes) and whether humans play a major role in it (absolutely). The counterpart is climate misinformation: the deliberate dissemination of incorrect information and misleading ideas about causes, solutions and those responsible. The assumption is that the former leads to more … Read more
Two years ago, the United Nations General Assembly concluded a historic treaty, the High Seas Treaty, an agreement to protect and preserve the biodiversity of the ‘high seas’ for future sustainable use. The term ‘high seas’ refers to oceans and seas outside territorial waters. If the treaty is properly implemented, it will play a key … Read more
Rutger Schilpzand We are in a bizarre situation when it comes to the climate crisis: On the one hand, humanity is hurtling down a mountain at breakneck speed, heading straight for the abyss. And we are still unable to apply the brakes, because global CO2 emissions are continuing to rise. On the other hand, a … Read more
Gerben ter Riet Epidemiologists love the term ‘risk’. They try to quantify health risks. This is not easy when it comes to health risks as a result of man-made global warming. Health itself is a difficult concept. In the past, it meant ‘absence of disease’, but later it came to refer to complete physical, mental … Read more