Scientists for Future

Scientists for Future
Name	Scientists for Future
Formation	2019
Type	Non-profit advocacy group
Headquarters	Germany
Region served	International

Scientists for Future is a network of academics and researchers founded in 2019 that issued public endorsements supporting climate strikes and climate policy advocacy. The coalition publicly aligned with youth movements and issued statements addressing climate science, adaptation, and policy, drawing attention from media outlets, research institutions, and political bodies across Europe. It engaged with scholars affiliated with universities, research councils, and international organizations to translate peer-reviewed evidence into public messaging during climate protests and policy debates.

History

The group emerged in the context of mass mobilizations including Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion, School strike for climate, and protests inspired by figures such as Greta Thunberg and events like the 2018–2019 climate strikes. Early endorsements cited reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and assessments by agencies including the European Environment Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, and national academies such as the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Royal Society. Formation followed engagement among scholars at institutions including the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Max Planck Society, the University of Cambridge, the ETH Zurich, and the University of Oxford, and drew attention from media outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, and The New York Times. International responses involved stakeholders like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, European Commission, German Federal Constitutional Court, and research funders including the European Research Council.

Mission and Goals

The coalition stated goals echoed findings from bodies such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and aligned with targets in the Paris Agreement. Members aimed to inform public debate by referencing peer-reviewed literature published in journals like Nature, Science (journal), PNAS, The Lancet, and Environmental Research Letters. Objectives invoked frameworks from organizations such as the World Health Organization, the International Energy Agency, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the European Green Deal while supporting legal and policy instruments analogous to rulings by the European Court of Human Rights and decisions of national parliaments including the Bundestag.

Organization and Membership

Membership comprised academics affiliated with universities and research centers including University of Freiburg, Technical University of Munich, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Hamburg, University of Göttingen, University of Basel, University of Zurich, Uppsala University, Stockholm University, University of Copenhagen, Leiden University, Sciences Po, Columbia University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and institutes such as the Fraunhofer Society and Helmholtz Association. Organizing structures paralleled networks like the European Geosciences Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, with steering groups, working groups, and regional coordinators linking to national academies including the Academia Europaea and the National Academy of Sciences (United States). Signatories included researchers recognized by awards such as the Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, the Turing Award, the Wolf Prize, and fellowships from the Royal Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Activities and Campaigns

Activities included issuing public statements, submitting expert testimony to parliamentary inquiries such as hearings of the Bundestag and committees of the European Parliament, coordinating open letters published in outlets including The Guardian, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and Süddeutsche Zeitung, and participating in demonstrations associated with Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion. The network collaborated with climate litigation projects like cases before the Federal Constitutional Court (Germany), strategic litigation by groups including ClientEarth, and campaigns led by NGOs such as Greenpeace, WWF, 350.org, and Friends of the Earth. Outreach involved partnerships with museums such as the Natural History Museum, London and science festivals like the Hay Festival and conference presentations at venues including the United Nations Climate Change Conference and panels at the World Economic Forum.

Scientific Statements and Publications

The group published consensus statements and curated bibliographies synthesizing evidence from peer-reviewed work in journals including Nature Climate Change, Climate Dynamics, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Climate, and Global Environmental Change. Statements referenced modeling by centers such as the Met Office Hadley Centre, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and the Met Office. They cited assessments and data from repositories like IPCC AR6, EMEP, Copernicus Programme, Global Carbon Project, and datasets maintained by National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, and national meteorological services including Deutscher Wetterdienst.

Impact and Reception

The network influenced public discourse around litigation such as cases in the Federal Constitutional Court (Germany) and policy debates in the European Parliament and national legislatures including the Bundestag and National Assembly (France). It received endorsements from institutions such as the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and engagement from research funders like the German Research Foundation and the European Research Council. Media coverage ranged from sympathetic reporting in The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and Die Zeit to critical commentary in outlets including Bild and The Daily Telegraph. Academic responses involved debates at meetings of societies such as the European Geosciences Union, American Geophysical Union, and the Royal Meteorological Society.

Criticism and Controversies

Critiques addressed perceived politicization and conflicts with codes of conduct from organizations like the German Research Foundation and the Royal Society, debates over neutrality invoked by commentators in FAZ and papers in journals such as Nature and Science (journal), and scrutiny concerning endorsement procedures compared to practices at institutions like the Max Planck Society and Fraunhofer Society. Legal scholars referenced jurisprudence from the European Court of Human Rights and national courts when assessing academic participation in activism. Other controversies paralleled disputes involving public science engagement seen with figures connected to Fridays for Future and organizations such as Extinction Rebellion, prompting discussions at universities including Humboldt University of Berlin and University of Oxford about expectations for academic advocacy.

Category:Environmental organizations