In October 2019, over 1,500 scientists signed a declaration in support of non-violent direct action on climate change.1 In hindsight, this looks like a starting pistol: growing numbers of scientists have since become involved in civil disobedience themselves.
That year small groups of scientists began joining Extinction Rebellion (XR) protests in a few countries. In the UK, scientists teamed up with youth climate strikers and Indigenous campaigners in a series of protests at London’s Science Museum, against its sponsorship deals with four fossil fuel companies.2 Then in April 2022, over 1,000 scientists took action in 25 different countries under the banner of ‘Scientist Rebellion’, targeting government offices, polluting corporations and fossil-funding banks, with many risking arrest.3
