We are a group of scientists, scholars, and academics. In actions, we identify ourselves by wearing lab coats. We ask people to only wear lab coats and give interviews on behalf of Scientist Rebellion if they are (1) university/hogeschool/research institute staff, including PhD students, that are active in research or (2) hold a PhD and currently work as scientists and / or identify as scientists / scholars.
Scientist Rebellion is organized into different working groups:
- The Universities group, which discusses campaigns and actions that could be replicated at universities across the Netherlands.
- The Research group, which seeks to draw on the social science and humanities literature to address practical and strategic questions, such as assessing the efficacy of forms of direct action or diagnosing barriers to involvement.
- The Mobilization and Integration group, which integrates new members, organizes introduction meetings, nonviolent direct action trainings, and more broadly thinks about how to get more scientists and academics involved.
- The Well-being group, which organizes regenerative events and social gatherings for the community to come together and have fun.
- The Media group, which takes care of social media, press releases, and spokespersons.
- The Campaign group, which brainstorms about new campaigns and actions and feeds ideas back into specific action groups.
- The Coordination group, which coordinates the various working groups and meets biweekly to discuss progress and issues that came up, as well as make bigger strategic decisions.
You are very welcome to join and contribute to these working groups! We also have a number of local Scientist Rebellion groups at universities across the Netherlands, as indicated on the right figure. When you join Scientist Rebellion, you will be put in touch with the relevant local group, if applicable.
Demands and Core Values of Scientist Rebellion Netherlands
We, as Scientist Rebellion The Netherlands, engage in non-violent direct action to address the causes and the effects of the climate and ecological crisis. We call for climate justice and for a fast and fair transition towards a more sustainable and equitable world. Below, we share the core values that motivate and guide our actions.
1. What We Hold True (The Factual)
Our world is in a polycrisis, caused and reinforced by the overlap of, amongst others, human-caused climate change, biological extinction, structural inequality and sustained social injustice. These realities are supported by scientific evidence and echoed in policies on all levels, including the Paris Agreement, The Kunming-Montreal Framework, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite all this, the actions by politicians to turn these policies into reality have been highly inadequate and much too slow, which is widely acknowledged and criticized.
The IPCC (2023) says that social movements have a role to play in challenging those in power to make a just system transformation. Therefore, we see it as our responsibility to hold our government accountable for implementing the required policies. We, as scientists in particular, play a crucial role in this crisis. We have ample access to knowledge, we are among the most trusted actors and we often have the privilege to be the first to find new facts and to shape new narratives. Therefore we have a duty to share what we see are the causes and the effects of the crises and to join in the debates in order to integrate multi-disciplinary knowledge into solutions that try to mitigate these causes.
While it is often said that scientists should maintain a neutral stance and refrain from ethical judgment and practical action, we as Scientist Rebellion assert that activism is not antithetical to science. In fact, Scientist Rebellion argues that scientists, both in the past and the present, have never been neutral, but have always acted out of and into social contexts. Sometimes science has also contributed to generating and maintaining the harmful status quo. In the face of the overwhelming evidence and insufficient political action, we, as Scientist Rebellion, argue that we have a moral imperative to act.
2. What We Value (The Ethical)
Scientist Rebellion upholds the following core values to inform both how we act with regards to each other and society:
- Direct action We believe scientists should take responsibility by actively engaging with society, rather than assuming a neutral stance from the side-lines. Direct action involves a wide variety of modes of speaking and acting out.
- Non-violence: Our actions are exclusively non-violent, both in our direct actions as well as in our internal and external communication. We regard Non-Violent Direct Action as as an ethical and effective means of instigating change and working on a peaceful revolution.
- Truth-telling: We commit to truthful communication, emphasizing courageous, compassionate messaging that acknowledges the diverse and multifaceted nature of truth.
- Inclusivity: We strive to be a community that is open to academics of all backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, genders and walks of life who embrace our core values. We explicitly reject all forms of discrimination and transcend blaming and shaming individuals to embrace diverse perspectives.
- Equity: We accept that power exists and we seek to breakdown power structures that emerge in our community to increase equitable participation.
- Justice: We recognize the interconnectedness of climate justice with other forms of social justice, advocating for systemic change.
- Caring: We aim to be a regenerative culture that prioritizes holistic well-being and positive relationships.
- Life: We celebrate and value all forms of life, acknowledging our interdependence within ecosystems.
- Learning and reflection: We continuously learn and self-reflect, challenging the status quo and engaging in unlearning where and when needed.
- Scientific Integrity: We adhere to the norms of scientific integrity as stated by the scientific integrity code of conduct (https://www.nwo.nl/en/netherlands-code-conduct-research-integrity).
- Solidarity: We stand in solidarity with all oppressed groups, especially those who are at the frontline of the climate and ecological crisis.
- Humility: We seek to acknowledge our own limitations and strive to uphold the dignity of all within and outside our movement.
3. What We Want to Achieve (The goals)
We have a shared vision for change: to co-create a world that is fit for generations to come. The goal of our actions is to facilitate a just transition towards living within the planetary boundaries; a transition that includes the voices and that centers on the needs of those on the environmental front-lines and holds to account those most responsible for ecological breakdown. We acknowledge the historical causes of our predicament and see that these are rooted in our history of colonialism and extractivism.
Our main demand is climate justice. To let all species thrive, we need to find a new way of living together. Justice is at at the heart of that new way. Scientist Rebellion supports the idea that climate justice for all is the categorical demand that precedes all other demands (see https://demand0.nl/). We recognize that justice has an inter-regional aspect, in other words that there is an unjust imbalance between the global north and the global south: in who causes the crises and who is most harmed. Climate justice can only be achieved when this imbalance is addressed. 1
Other demands include:
- Truth and Awareness: Governments, corporations, and institutions must transparently communicate the reality of the climate crisis and ecological emergency. Public education and awareness campaigns are essential to mobilize collective action and foster understanding of the urgent need for change. We demand that governments, corporations and institutions tell the truth about the crises we are in and about how they are dealing with the risks these entail.
- Immediate Action: Urgent measures are imperative to halting biodiversity loss and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in alignment with the latest scientific findings. Policies and actions must prioritize sustainability, resilience, and equity, ensuring a fair distribution of the burdens and benefits across society. We demand doing what is necessary rather than ‘doing what is feasible’ to keep our world livable for all.
- Democratic Decision-making: Establishing Citizens’ Assemblies is crucial for facilitating inclusive, participatory decision-making processes. These assemblies should represent the diversity and perspectives of our communities, be informed by expert knowledge and guided by principles of justice and equity. By empowering citizens to shape our policies, strategies, and actions, we can ensure that the needed transitions are fair, just, and sustainable.
Scientist Rebellion recognizes the interconnectedness of climate justice with other forms of social justice, including environmental, racial and economic justice. The systemic inequalities perpetuated by our current economic and political structures disproportionately affect marginalized communities, exacerbating their vulnerability to the effects of climate change. Therefore, our vision for change encompasses addressing these intersecting injustices, advocating for systemic transformation towards a more equitable and sustainable society.
Ultimately, our collective efforts aim to challenge and dismantle oppressive systems, fostering solidarity and cooperation across communities. By centering principles of justice, equity, and sustainability, we can create a world where all individuals and ecosystems thrive in harmony.
1 Definition from IPCC AR6 (https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/): Justice is concerned with setting out the moral or legal principles of fairness and equity in the way people (and nature!) are treated. Climate justice links development and human rights to achieve a human-centered approach to addressing our overshoot of the safe and just earth system boundaries, safeguarding the rights of all nature, including humans, and especially the most vulnerable, and sharing the burdens and benefits of the polycrisis (biodiversity, climate, water, pollution) and its impact equitably and fairly.
Mobilization
Scientist Rebellion has coordinated actions by over 1000 scientists in 27 countries in the past. But we need more — much more. You can help us spread the word and mobilize the Dutch academic community by:
(1) Sending this email to your network / email lists you are on.
(2) Printing and distributing this flyer (in A5 or A4) at your university / scientific events.
(3) Inviting us to speak at an event you are organizing.
We need change now. We need you. Let’s do this!