Guest essay by Eric Worrall
According to University World News, 23,000 scientists have signed a petition supporting the climate change student strikes.
Scientists unite to back strikes for climate change
Michael Gardner 23 March 2019Academics in Germany, Switzerland and Austria have joined forces in support of the ‘Fridays for Future’ school strikes addressing climate change. They call for urgent action to halt global warming.
A joint petition written by ‘Scientists for Future’ and signed by more than 23,000 academics in the three German-speaking countries calls for immediate steps to be taken to tackle climate change and emphasises that the school protests initiated by Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg are fully justified.
The petition stresses that a range of social and technological innovations already exist that “can maintain quality of life and improve human well-being without destroying our natural resources”.
Scientists4Future was initiated by Gregor Hagedorn, coordinator for national and international research infrastructures at the Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science in Berlin.…
Read more: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20190321152316347
The following is the letter from the Scientists 4 future website (translated by Google Translate):
Statement from scientists on the protests for more climate protection – # Scientists4Future
Source: https://www.scientists4future.org/stellungnahme/
The concerns of the demonstrators young people are entitled
At present, many young people regularly demonstrate for climate protection and the preservation of our natural livelihoods. As scientists, we explain on the basis of reliable scientific findings: These concerns are justified and well justified. The current measures for climate, species, forest, marine and soil protection are far from sufficient.
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change of 2015 obligates states under international law to keep global warming well below 2 ° C. In addition, all countries have pledged efforts to limit warming to 1.5 ° C.
It is now important to reduce the net emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases quickly and reduce them to zero at the latest worldwide between 2040 and 2050. Faster lowering increases the likelihood of reaching 1.5 ° C. The burning of coal should be almost completed by 2030, and the burning of oil and natural gas reduced simultaneously, until all fossil fuels have been replaced by climate-neutral energy sources. Taking global climate justice into account, this change would have to be even faster in Europe.
Even if there is still a need for participation and discussion: Now action must be taken. Both are not mutually exclusive. There are already many social and technological innovations that can preserve the quality of life and enhance human well-being without destroying our natural resources.
In all German-speaking countries , the necessary scale and speed are not achieved in the transformation of energy, nutrition, agriculture, resource use and mobility. Germany will miss the self-imposed climate protection targets for 2020 and the achievement of the goals of the German Sustainability Strategy for 2030 is also highly endangered. In addition, there is still a lack of an effective climate protection law. Austria has set goals in its climate and energy strategy that are in no way in line with the Treaty of Paris, and for that purpose neither the necessary measures nor the financial means are provided for. At the same time, soil consumption and sealing per person per year in Austria are the highest in Europe.Switzerland has only slightly reduced its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990; At the same time, emissions generated abroad increased significantly. In the first parliamentary debate on the total revision of the CO2 Act, the domestic reduction targets were deleted and the reduction of Swiss emissions was to be compensated abroad. After all, the law has failed for the time being.
Young people rightly demand that our society focus on sustainability without further hesitation. Without profound and consistent change, their future is in danger. Among other things, this change means: We are introducing new sources of energy and renewable energies with the necessary speed. We consistently implement energy-saving measures. And we are fundamentally changing our diet, mobility and consumption patterns.
Politicians, in particular, are responsible for promptly creating the necessary framework conditions. In particular, climate-friendly and sustainable action must become simple and cost-effective, climate-damaging action unattractive and expensive (eg through effective CO2 prices, cessation of subsidies for climate-damaging activities and products, efficiency regulations and social innovations). A socially balanced distribution of the costs and benefits of change is essential.
The enormous mobilization of the new movements (“Fridays for Future” in Germany and Austria, “climate strike” in Switzerland) shows that the young people understood the situation. As scientists, we can only emphatically underline their demand for quick and consistent action.
As people who are familiar with scientific work and are concerned about current developments, we consider it our social responsibility to point out the consequences of inadequate action.
Only by acting swiftly and consistently can we limit global warming, stop the mass extinction of plant and animal species, preserve the natural foundations of life, and create a livable future for present and future generations. This is exactly what the young people want to achieve from “Fridays for Future”. They deserve our respect and our full support.
Despite claiming an ongoing mass extinction event, still not one word of support for nuclear power, the only scalable zero carbon energy source which might attract support from conservatives.
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The headline infers 23,000 ‘climate scientists’, the press release 23,000 ‘scientists’, and the self-description gives 23,000 who are ‘familiar with the scientific work’ – downhill all the way. I don’t imagine that there is an academic in Germany, of any description, who could not make that claim – ‘familiar with the scientific work’; this blog has illustrated again and again the kind of ignorance and stupidity that can lie behind such a claim. I have been a lifelong academic (now retired), and the experience does not give me reason to value the opinions of those who sign petitions.
I was in Melbourne during the Green New Deal student/children’s demo.
The lack of sound purity coming from the loud hailers and from the sound systems was spooky and raised memories of past times.
The scene from Cabaret where the Hitler youth stands up in the Tea Garten and sings best sums up the scene.
As the chant, “Reach Higher” came into the park around the Victoria Parliament, repeated over and over, its distorted sound was disturbingly similar and reminiscent of 1930s rallies in Germany.
We have to stop this nonsense.
Is a whole new generation of climate scientists being produced?
I don’t know about skipping school in Germany but here it is an offence with a heavy fine.
To justify this offence on the basis of climate change surely it is time this was taken to court and the scientists made to prove beyond reasonable doubt that fossil fuel use is the cause of climate change.
Since they claim the science is beyond question this should be easy or are they afraid the failed predictions, the sub low end commercial standards for the source data and the primitive method of predicting the pattern of normal might just be exposed to the public. Or maybe even that the zero correlation between areas of fossil fuel use compared to maximum temperature anomalies might just be raised in public awareness.
Hear, hear. +42!
No wonder, youth’ knowledge about what ever is declining, not that nat. sciences are a highlight in German schools and the missing days are relevant.
😀
“23,000 academics” ??
Is the word, “academics”, supposed to convince us of greater legitimacy?
My question is, “Academics in WHAT fields”? — political science?, … art?, … world history?, … culinary arts?, … home economics?, … ???
I could tell you that I have 23,000 signatures from the best tempered, most likeable individuals you could ever want to meet. But what I mean is 23,000 paw prints from well-bred, well-trained dogs, with excellent temperaments and socialization.
Any physicists in there? Engineers? Meteorologists? Geologists? … ???
“Academic” does not automatically render people immune from ignorance in relevant subjects to make properly informed conclusions about the issue under consideration.
OT …has anyone else noticed how earthquakes in the fracking areas around Oklahoma have dropped off significantly in recent years? It is as if it was all naturally caused in the first place, and had zip to do with fracking, or fracking waste disposal.
“has anyone else noticed how earthquakes in the fracking areas around Oklahoma have dropped off significantly in recent years?”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/09/27/man-made-earthquakes-decline-oklahoma-kansas/1443306002/
“Oklahoma’s induced earthquakes increased drastically in 2009 and peaked in 2015, according to Stanford University. In order to reduce the quakes, Oklahoma regulators mandated a 40 percent water injection reduction in early 2016. The number of earthquakes soon declined.”
end excerpt
Thunderstorms are breaking out in Oklahoma and Texas and heading east. People should keep their eyes open.
Thanks for sharing. The rate of quakes dropped significantly, only 13 in the last 30 days for example.
Strewth, these kids are cucked to the nines. They’re supposed to be bunking off school to get laid, loaded, and have a good time.
Just because I may die before you, kids, it doesn’t mean your vote counts double mine. This is also a game that can be played by both sides: Greenpeas et al stole my future when I was that age by hindering the development of nuclear power. We are now much poorer as a result because cheaper energy is the bedrock of economic development and wealth generation, whatever some teachers may have told younger generations.
I further wonder if the same teachers are responsible for the unspecified “range of social [..] innovations that already exist” to create this utopia being sold to these students? It seems curious that this petition is international, yet restricted to German nations. I hope they’re better than some other social innovations coming out German-speaking Europe in the 1930s.