Dear people of TDWG,
please consider to quickly sign this forwarded petition from our friend TDWG Gregor Hagedorn in support of climate strikers and urge governments to take actions. If you can, please also share it with other scientists.
With thanks, Markus
Begin forwarded message:
From: Gregor Hagedorn <g.m.hagedorn@gmail.commailto:g.m.hagedorn@gmail.com> Subject: URGENT (deadline 8. April noon UTC): Please become an initial signatory of the international ScientistsForFuture support letter for the climate protesters (to be published in a top scientific journal) Date: 5. April 2019 at 23:37:17 CEST To: Gregor Hagedorn <g.m.hagedorn@gmail.commailto:g.m.hagedorn@gmail.com>
Dear Colleague,
I invite you to become an initial signatory of the ScientistsForFuture (International) letter. (The letter will be published in a top scientific journal, with the list of initial signatories attached.)
We, an alliance of scientists and scholars who have previously written similar national or regional letters, invite – scholars, researchers, and scientists from all disciplines, – active as well as formerly active. We will solve the sustainability and climate crisis only by widespread collaboration. If you have previously signed a similar letter, we encourage you to sign again (and apologize). We cannot transfer signatures from earlier letters. Even though there are many similarities, the letters are ultimately different.
Please SHARE and encourage other trusted colleagues and friends, who are scholars or scientists, to sign (e. g., please forward this letter). We would like to have initial signatories from as many countries as possible – please think whether you can help to find signatories from other countries in the world!
PLEASE SIGN HERE: https://twitter.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=2de01bae722e6edd723033568&a... (The text of the letter is shown there and also at the bottom of this mail)
Sincerely, Gregor Hagedorn, Peter Kalmus, Michael Mann, Sara Vicca, Joke Van den Berge, Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Dominique Bourg, Jan Rotmans, Roope Kaaronen, Stefan Rahmstorf, Helga Kromp-Kolb, Gottfried Kirchengast, Reto Knutti, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Philippe Thalmann, Raven Cretney, Alison Green, Kevin Anderson, Martin Hedberg, Douglas Nilsson, Amita Kuttner, Katharine Hayhoe
___________________________________________________
Letter/Statement: The Concerns of young protesters are justified
The world’s youth have begun to persistently demonstrate for the protection of the climate and other foundations of human well-being. As scientists and scholars who have recently initiated similar letters of support in our countries, we call for our colleagues across all disciplines and from the entire world to support these young climate protesters. We declare: Their concerns are justified and supported by the best available science. The current measures for protecting the climate and biosphere are deeply inadequate.
By signing the Paris Agreement of 2015, all nation states committed under international law to keep global warming well below 2°C. In addition, all countries have promised efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The scientific community has clearly concluded that a global warming of 2°C instead of 1.5°C would substantially increase climate-related impacts and the risk of some becoming irreversible. Moreover, given the uneven distribution of most impacts, 2°C of warming would further exacerbate existing global inequalities.
It is critical to immediately begin a rapid reduction in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. The degree of climate crisis that humanity will experience in the future will be determined by our cumulative emissions; rapid reduction now will limit the damage. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recently assessed that halving CO2 emissions by 2030 (relative to 2010 levels) and globally achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 (as well as strong reductions in other greenhouse gases) would allow a 50% chance of staying below 1.5°C of warming. Considering that industrialized countries produced more of and benefited more from previous emissions, they have an ethical responsibility to achieve this transition more quickly than the world as a whole.
Many social, technological, and nature-based solutions already exist. The young protesters rightfully demand that these solutions be used to achieve a sustainable society. Without bold and focused action, their future is in critical danger. There is no time to wait until they are in power.
Politicians have the huge responsibility of creating the necessary framework conditions in a timely manner. Policies are needed to make climate-friendly and sustainable action simple and cost-effective, and climate-damaging action unattractive and expensive. Examples include effective CO2 prices and regulations; cessation of subsidies for climate-damaging actions and products; efficiency standards; social innovations; and massive, directed investment in solutions such as renewable energy, cross-sector electrification, and public transport infrastructure. A socially fair distribution of the costs and benefits of climate action will require deliberate attention, but it is both possible and essential.
The enormous grassroots mobilization of the youth climate movement—variously known as e.g. Fridays for Future, School (or Youth) Strike 4 Climate, Youth for (or 4) Climate, Youth Climate Strike—shows that young people understand the situation. We approve and support their demand for rapid and forceful action. We see it as our social, ethical, and scholarly responsibility to state in no uncertain terms: Only if humanity acts quickly and resolutely can we limit global warming, halt the ongoing mass extinction of animal and plant species, and preserve the natural basis for the food supply and well-being of present and future generations. This is what the young people want to achieve. They deserve our respect and full support. _______________________________________