13.12.2023
End Uncontrolled Extractivism

Demonstrations took place in Ecuador to protest the lack of solutions from the COP. Scientists and activists carried out a series of protests outside the United Nations facilities. The same complaints were manifested before the Ministry of Energy and Mines buildings, emphasising the denounce of the socio-environmental conflicts faced by Ecuador. Their demand is to respect and fulfil the will of the people on the "Yasuní and Chocó Andino" popular consultation." We are facing an irreparable climate change consequences journey. Most of the time, these consequences are stressed on impoverished sectors, indigenous peoples, and those who are not in favourable conditions to adapt and cope with climate change repercussions.​​​​​​​

We also held a series of film forums at different universities in the country. We also hold a series of Anti COP talks. I will give you more information.

Rebelión Científica Ecuador, together with several environmental organizations, held a series of ANTI COP talks in person and online, in these talks topics such as:
Ecological Debt, Diagnosis of environmental rights, Alternatives to extivism, Climate crisis, Degrowth, among others

Rebelión Científica Ecuador for a month and a half held film forums, thinking about the climate crisis from science fiction films.

We start on October 31, 2023 and screen 5 films. All the functions were free and at the end we held a forum with different experts on the subject to exchange information with the public.

"Science guides us, action drives us!"

World leaders have known about the dangers of the climate crisis for decades, but they are not acting accordingly.

Some of the world's richest and highest-emitting countries continue to approve new oil and gas fields, to subsidise fossil fuels with trillions of dollars every year, and to engage in destructive agricultural practices.

How many more failed COPS until we act?

18.10.2023

Calling out Greenwashing

On October 28th, members of YA ES YA (Scientist Rebellion in Panama) together with Biology students of the University of Panama and members of several groups and organisations acted together during the UN Climate Week for Latin America and the Caribbean. The activists attempted to participate in the UN's Climate Week conference, but were barred by police from entering the venue.

The scientists and activists protested against governmental greenwashing. Panama's government takes full credit on Panama being "carbon negative" despite the fact that consumption-based emissions are still too high, and that the success at low production-based emissions is mostly due to the struggles of indigenous people to preserve their forests. Mining is also being greenwashed by the government, despite its high ecological impacts and the occurrence of several protests across the country against this practice. Activists further protested against Panama focusing only on mitigation and not on adaptation to the climate crisis, particularly regarding natural disaster prevention and vulnerability reduction; and demanded no metal mining to occurr in Panama.

Three virtual meetings were held in the context of COP 28, the objective was to contextualize how the COP's approach by not questioning extractive companies affects everyone in the territories.

In the local case, the three speakers explained from their areas what the impact of Climate Change is in the country.

Dr. Liliana Miranda explained the impact from the physical-spatial part and what was observed in various areas of the country, obtaining worrying figures in the present and with a projection to the future from the studies carried out at the IPCC.

Lawyer Milagros Alvarado explained from the field of human rights and the exposure of people to the need to migrate due to climatic conditions.

Dr. Antonio Peña commented on the social and legal impact in relation to communities from the perspective of indigenous justice and how climate change and activities related to its production affect those who live in protected spaces and recognized their autonomy and how those who exercise their sovereignty and their worldview in these sectors are violated.

04.12.2023

No More

Scientists in Mexico took action in front of the UN to denounce failure of COP and demand Climate Justice.

The protest started with a march from the monument dedicated to Gandhi, during which scientists pasted scientific papers documenting climate breakdown & climate inaction.

Meanwhile, the President of COP28 openly denies climate science, and the richest & most polluting nations allocate a derisory fund for Loss And Damage.

How Much More climate failure will we allow from world leaders? How Much More green colonialism will we allow from global institutions?

"We need people to say No More to deadly politics fueling oppression and climate breakdown"

10.02.2024

STOP EACOP

On February 10th 2024, more than 30 people from several activist groups protested in front of the Tanzania Embassy in Kinshasa against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP). The Stop EACOP Campaign took place between January and February 2024 and aimed to fight against the signing of contracts for the exploitation of oil and gas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Indeed, the DRC has been auctioning land for oil and gas fields in the Congo Rainforest since 2022.

Holding the world's largest tropical peatlands, the Congo Rainforest is a crucial carbon sink as it stores approximately thirty billion tons of carbon. The exploitation of these lands for fossil fuels affects biodiversity, jeopardizes a vital carbon absorption tool, and risks the drying of peat and the release of large storages of carbon. This could be especially catastrophic for the African continent as the Congo Rainforest and Peatland are significant regulators of Africa's climate. The extracted oil is expected to be moved through the EACOP.

The campaign was built by scientists in collaboration with Debt For Climate, Climate Clock, DGI Foundation and other groups.

30.11.2023

Stronger Together

Scientists, activists, and indigenous communities came together in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, for a powerful conference on climate change on November 30th. They delved into the real impacts felt by local communities and discussed strategies for effective advocacy. From scientific journals to COP accountability, the conversation sparked awareness about the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels.

Young scientists in Nigeria also took to the streets to unite against climate failure. They gave talks about the science of climate change and shared the statistical impacts of climate change across the world. They further demanded Global South's debt cancellation by the Global North, which is vital for the Global South to be able to have the necessary funds to undergo a just transition.

"We should all unite against climate failure we have no other planet"

10.12.2023

United Against EACOP

On December 10th 2023, members of Scientist Rebellion Rwanda undertook three actions. On Route Kibuye in the Southern Province, they marched and did a sit-in, in which they demanded a stop to the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP), particularly across earthquake-prone zones, as this increases likelihood of oil spills and further environmental disasters.

The scientists also gave talks. At the ACEJ Karama Secondary School in the Muhanga District, they spoke to 170 students regarding the need of a profound system change if we are to face the climate crisis. They also spoke to over 50 university students were at Kabgayi Catholic Institute Department of Environment.

16.12.2023

STOP EACOP

On December 16th, after blocking roads in a 45 minute long march, over 37 Scientist Rebellion Uganda activists assembled in front of the Maestro Oil & Gas Solutions (MOGAS) fossil fuel tanks on Kampala-Jinaja Highway. The fossil fuel inside those tanks does not only represent the biggest danger for the world's future, but the tanks are positioned in a crowded residential area. They are, therefore, a possibly lethal fire hazard for local communities.

In 2021, the MOGAS CEO declared they "look forward to partnering with major contractors and subcontractors on the E&P (Exploration and Production) and EACOP (East African Crude Oil Pipeline) projects". By enabling the extraction of more oil, EACOP will fuel climate change and generate over 34 million tons of CO2 emissions every single year. At current emission rates, it would take the average Ugandan or the average European over 272 million or 5 million years respectively to produce as much CO2.

Scientists further wanted to denounce that students, scientists and citizens protesting EACOP have been consistently beaten, arrested and repressed by Ugandan police. They ask: HowMuchMore privilege and extractivism is the Global North defending before taking meaningful action?

09.12.2023

Corrupted by Oil Producers

On December 9th, activists, including scientists, staged their death in front of the Danish government to force representatives to face the consequences of their political choices. In this protest, they also aimed to denounce COP28, which reached the record of fossil fuel lobbyists participating in a COP (at least 2,456, outnumbering every country delegation except for two); the previous record had been held by COP27 (636 lobbyists).

By staging their death, the activists wanted to raise awareness that every day, fossil fuel companies decide to murder, starve, and displace populations for financial profit. Yet, they are allowed to drive the political agenda of COP28, and extract resources in the Global South to enrich the Global North, often forced through the reimbursement of an illegitimate colonial debt.

Finally, scientists wanted to show that the celebration by 110 nation representatives of a three-fold increase in renewable energy development by 2030 pledge is an illusion. The deployment of renewable energy does not lower emissions if fossil fuels keep being burnt.

02.12.2023

The conference of broken promises

Activist scientists in Germany undertook a series of non-violent civil disobedience actions. They began on December 2nd when activists masked as politicians took bags full of fake money from the Bundestag to Wintershall Dea, the largest German oil and gas company, where they pasted some of the money on the building. Their action aimed to reflect the fact that the German government uses taxpayers' money to subsidise fossil fuel companies. According to the Umweltbundesamt, environmentally damaging subsidies in Germany accounted for 65 billion euros in 2018, including fossil fuel subsidies. In particular, Wintershall Dea has been extracting oil and gas from remote and high-risk locations, with potentially devastating ecological consequences on the ecosystems. In Argentina, indigenous people are protesting against Wintershall Dea's fracking practices, which are destroying their livelihoods. Between 2021 and 2023, Wintershall Dea poured nearly 141 million euros annually into fossil fuel exploration. It also promotes CCS and blue hydrogen production, which requires enormous subsidies while failing to deliver the promised solutions.

"We are calling on the German government to formulate a concrete plan for phasing out climate-damaging subsidies by 2025, as it has repeatedly promised to do"

Scientist Rebellion members in Germany also took part in a climate march against fossil subsidies, and undertook an action in front of the Tiergarten District Court. There, scientists pasted large-format printouts of papers on civil disobedience in the climate emergency, and statements by judges in the context of hearings on actions of peaceful civil disobedience on the outside walls of the Court. Actions from Letzte Generation and Extinction Rebellion are regularly heard therein. The scientists further spilled fake blood to denounce that denying the fullfilmente of the justice system's responsibility can have very real consequences for people.

"All disciplines dealing with the scientific, health and psychological consequences of the climate and biodiversity crisis are talking about an emergency. Only the judiciary does not recognize this"

Learn more about these actions →

02.12.2023

Alternative COP

From late October to December, scientists took action across 11 cities in France. In Nancy, Nantes, Lyon and Paris, scientists gathered in one-day long Alternative COP events to denounce the climate inaction of governments, the greenwashing of COP28 and together with the public discuss solutions for various facets of the climate and ecological crises. In Bordeaux, a four-day long Alternative COP was held, where scientists and the public discussed several challenges, from agriculture to transportation, the existence of COP, Total Energie's criminal practices, and the necessity of popular assemblies and civil disobedience in order to effectively fight climate challenges. To further show how the climate crisis is impacting peoples across the world, scientists in European and South American gave talks on climate challenges in their regions. Bordeaux's Alternative COP also included such artistic performances as a fake trial of Total Energies, which aimed to empower the public to demand justice for ecocide. In this process, scientists and people aimed to do what COP28 failed at: setting up real goals towards a fossil free future.

"This new COP still fails to propose a coherent trajectory for a genuine energy transition and adaptation of societies, promises amounts of aid to the most vulnerable countries that are a thousand times lower than real needs, and bets on carbon compensation and storage using non-existent or dangerous technologies. It's a resounding failure [...] But we're not giving up! [...] We're united against the failure of the COPs, and for the advent of major change!"

The scientist activists also undertook several actions in this period. In Bordeaux, in the street that houses the Bordeaux museum, the wine school and at the prefecture, they rose their voices against biodiversity loss. Across the city, around 30 members of Scientifiques en Rébellion gave talks in the streets to alert those walking past of the emergency we are living. They further pasted several scientific papers in the Crédit Agricole of Bordeaux. Meanwhile, in Lyon, in front of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a member of SR France denounced the European Union's re-authorization of glyphosate for 10 years until 2033. While scientists protested against the use of private jets in Nice or against the corruption of COP28, others in Paris criticized the fact that scientists are currently on trial for acting in accordance to scientific knowledge while polluters walk free.

The scientists ended their campaign period at the end of COP28 by holding actions in eleven cities across France (Nancy, Toulouse, Nice, Bordeaux, Nantes, Marseilles, Blois, Lyon, Grenoble, Paris, and Montpellier). Scientists held posters criticizing the result of COP28 and reiterating that current COPs do not answer the needs of the people.

Other actions of the group included a protest in front of the Bordeaux museum, in the street, at the wine school and at the prefecture, bringing attention to the loss of biodiversity, talks in the streets given by around 30 members of Scientifiques en Rébellion, paper pasting in the Crédit Agricole of Bordeaux, and the intervention of a member of SR France, in front of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon to denounce the European Union's reauthorization of glyphosate for 10 years until 2033.

04.12.2023

Coal Blockade

On December 4th, together with Kappen Met Kolen, scientists from Scientist Rebellion Netherlands blocked a coal track in Amsterdam, calling for a rapid phase out of fossil fuels. The action supports a letter signed by over 1400 scientists that is urging everyone to engage in collective climate action to secure a livable future.

In 1992, virtually all countries promised to prevent dangerous climate change. However, 27 global UN climate conferences (COPs) later, carbon emissions have increased by 60%, leading to devastating heat waves, wildfires, floods, and crop failures.

In their action, scientists aimed to remind the public that our so-called leaders are catastrophically failing us. Governments are failing us by planning to produce twice the amount of fossil fuels that is compatible with 1.5°C. Specifically, the Dutch government plans to phase out coal only by 2029, and is expanding its LNG terminal in Rotterdam, locking the country into fossil dependence for decades. All of this happens while the 28th COP is chaired by the CEO of an oil company.

In face of the utter failure of leaders, scientists exorted the public to realize that nobody is coming to save humanity. To secure a livable future, climate action has to move from something that few of us do to something that we all do.

Equinor Out

29.11.2023

Trondheim, Norway: less than 48h ahead of the start of COP28, 45 researchers and students from Scientist Rebellion Norway protested against the university's massive funding from the fossil fuel industry and Norway's biggest fossil company Equinor

"A 6th mass extinction is underway, & humans will not be able to survive without respecting how dependent we are on environmental conditions and nature's resources. It is not too late if we act NOW!”

Following the first march, more than 20 researchers and students marched again, just two days later, resulting in five arrests, for this slow march against the influence of oil companies in academia and investigation.

02.12.2023

Turning a Blind Eye

Lisbon woke up on December 2nd to multiple blindfolded statues across the city center, that carried posters with information regarding the climate crisis and denounced political complicity with environmental, climatic and societal destruction. The goal of this action was to highlight the hypocrisy of the COP28 and political leaders worldwide. The COP process has failed over and over with false promises; and no country is acting according to the promises made in the Paris Agreement. In this action, scientists emphasized the need for collective awareness and action across all fields by asking the public to think of "How long until [society] remove[s] the blindfold?"

"Just like the many statues and busts across the city, our leaders also have their eyes covered. They are blindfolded by lobbyists and private interests of the big polluting companies - whether they are in the fossil fuels sector or responsible for mining lithium and other natural resources"

Scientist Rebellion members in Portugal had been active since the 28th of October. During the 6-week long campaign, they promoted a series of activities with other collectives and NGOs that aimed to empowder people by offering concrete solutions to different facets of the climate and ecological crises. They hosted talks, conferences, Climate Cafés and various workshops. The campaign ended on the 9th of December when they joined the Climate Resistance Protest in the country's capital.

02.12.2023

Oil on EU's Hands

On December 2nd, a wide group of scientists from Rebelión Científica and members of the environmental protection group Rebelión o Extinción blocked and painted black the offices of the European Union in Barcelona, while occupying the street in front of it.

The scientists and activists argue that, as historically big polluters, EU and Global North countries should lead the way towards a drastic cut of emissions and a phase out of fossil fuels. However, the countries greenwash their image by advertising a ridiculously insufficient Loss and Damage Fund during the COP with the highest number of fossil industry delegates.

“The European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, who is leading the EU delegation to COP28, is a former Shell executive. We call on the public to take the initiative, as the institutions will certainly not do it.”

In their action, the activists wanted to show that it is increasingly clear that Governments are complicit of big corporations: the president of COP28 denied the scientific necessity of phasing out fossil fuels; between 2021 and 2022, the EU doubled their environmentally harmful subsidies; Global North Governments keep spending billions on a genocide in Gaza while people demonstrate against it. Such actions show that leaders, left unchecked, are led by profit thirst and never by people’s interests and future. This is why the two groups ask for a legally binding European People Assembly with the task of drafting plans to fight the climate crisis

01.12.2023

Deadly Politics

On December 1st, scientists from SR Sweden blocked the road in front of the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise. The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Business and Industry. This choice reflects the clear disinterest shown by Swedish politicians to ignore the reality of the climate crisis. Scientists also pasted scientific papers documenting the deadly consequences of climate breakdown and the failure of the COP process. COP's failure is particularly ghastly when considering the derisory funding offered for Loss And Damage, while, at the same time, rich nations spend billions to fund a genocide in Gaza.

04.12.2023

Oil Hypocrisy

Scientists led a slow march to the Parliament Building in Bern to protest Swiss representation at COP28.
To a conference that claims to aim to phase out fossil fuels, Switzerland sent Albert Rösti, who successfully campaigned against a bill designed to reduce Swiss greenhouse gas emissions.

Rösti is also an ex-representative of fuel trader Swissoil in the Swiss parliament, and has acted as spokesperson for nuclear interests, car dealers and road transport industries. He is currently head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications.

Switzerland has high per-capita emissions, double those of China. This, coupled with the choice of Rösti to represent Switzerland, clearly shows the country's disinterest in pursuing ambitious measures to tackle the climate crisis.

"Governments across the world keep choosing money over people. For How Much More time will we stand it?"

30.12.2023

Bike Loud

On November 30th, scientists and Extinction Rebellion, DFS, and other climate activists protested against an increase of freeway lanes. They demanded innovative transit solutions, such as bike lanes. Transport decarbonisation is vital to face the climate crisis. Instead of reflecting the severity of the crisis, Portland's Metro Transit Plan offers no path towards a decrease of greenhouse gas emission in the region.