From the archive: Why are climate and conservation scientists taking to the streets?

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.2 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 9 August 2022

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In early April this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a new report giving the world just 30 months to get greenhouse gas emissions falling. Beyond that, we’ll have missed our chance of limiting global heating to 1.5C. As this summer of heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods prove, going much above 1.5C will have truly devastating consequences for us and the planet. With the window of opportunity rapidly closing, some scientists feel like writing reports and publishing papers is no longer enough, and are leaving their desks and labs to take action on the streets. In this episode recorded back in April, Madeleine Finlay meets scientists protesting at Shell HQ in London and speaks to the conservationist Dr Charlie Gardner about civil disobedience – and why he thinks it’s the only option left. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Guardian.
0:10.0	Well, if you knock this wall through through you could over plan the living area.
0:13.3	So I'm thinking burnt oka paired with some terracotta times, vary in season right now.
0:17.6	When it comes to making big decisions for how we improve our homes, we rely on the advice of experts. So shouldn't it be the same for the way we heat and
0:24.7	power them at EDF waste specialists in low-carbon technology for homes? We've installed thousands
0:29.6	of air source heat pumps solar panels and batteries across the country and we also have useful
0:34.0	content to help you make the right decision for your home search edf energy
0:37.6	dot com slash energy specialist to find out more Hello Madeline here, the Science Weekly team are away on their summer holidays.
0:50.0	So for the next two weeks we'll be bringing you a few of our favorite episodes from the year so far.
0:56.2	Today we're going back to look at why scientists have turned to protest in the face of the climate crisis,
1:02.3	asking, is it the only rational thing left to do?
1:05.4	There were lots of reasons to pick this particular episode but with the extreme
1:10.2	weather we've seen this summer from the heat waves and droughts in Europe to floods in Australia and Uganda,
1:16.2	all happening with just a rise of 1 degrees Celsius in the planet's average temperature.
1:21.1	It felt important to hear again why scientists are undertaking civil disobedience
1:26.5	to try and get fossil fuel companies, governments, and all of us to act as soon as possible.
1:32.4	I really hope you enjoy the episode.
1:40.0	Last Monday the most recent report from the International Panel on Climate Change was published.
1:46.0	Climate scientists warn that we are already perilously close to tipping points that could lead to cascading and irreversible climate impacts.
1:55.0	It gave the world 30 months.
1:58.0	Yes, that's 30 months for us to get global greenhouse gases falling if we want to avoid the worst of the climate crisis.
2:08.0	That narrow window for action we always talk about, well, it's almost up.
	...

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