What is the climate crisis ?
[From Wikipedia] Climate crisis is a term describing global warming and climate change, and their consequences. The term describes the threat of global warming to the planet, and to urge aggressive climate change mitigation. For example, a January 2020 BioSciencearticle endorsed by over 11,000 scientists worldwide, stated that “the climate crisis has arrived” and that an “immense increase of scale in endeavors to conserve our biosphere is needed to avoid untold suffering due to the climate crisis.”We use the words ”climate crisis”, “climate problem” and ”climate emergency” instead of the more neutral words ”climate change” to express the fact that the global warming constitutes a huge and very urgent problem, which requires immediate action on worldwide scale.
What is the goal of Scientists4Future-Twente ?
There are several:
We want to bring together scientists that are concerned about the climate crisis. Although the climate crisis might be considered an existential problem, in our daily life it is not often discussed as such. S4F-Twente is a platform where we can speak with each other openly and share our thoughts and worries.
With that in mind we feel motivated and feel a moral responsibility to do something about the climate crisis. Alone one may feel overwhelmed by the severity and complexity of the climate problem. Alone one might feel powerless and possibly even sometimes paralyzed. By bringing many scientists together we can combine and make better use of our networks and hope to be able to be more effective.
Who can join Scientists4Future-Twente?
In principle everyone with a scientific training or following a scientific study. who follows the scientific way of thinking and working – i.e. we have an open mind but are also critical towards our own and others opinions (i.e. we use peer review on what we do and publish); we work evidence-based; and use our scientific network. For that reason S4F is intended in first instance for anyone with scientific training, i.e. at least a BSc -title, or is studying for that degree. Anyone from any section of society can join.
When did S4F start ?
It started in Germany, parallel to the Friday-for-Future strikes and demonstrations, shortly after the first one-person demonstration by Greta Thunberg on the steps of the Swedisch Parlement September 2018. Scientists4Future.NL started summer 2019 and in S4F-Twente winter 2020/21.
How do I join ?
Fill out the registration form and especially pay attention to the questions on your area(s) of interest where you want to become active. You will be soon contacted and referred to the focus group that is organized around that topic.
Is there a central organization of S4F-Twente ?
Not really. Everyone is free to initiate and execute his/her own activity and use the name of S4F-Twente, as long as you. The goal of the core focus group is to provide better visibility of all activities by maintaining a website. It provides a contact platform between all participants in Twente and beyond and it may be able to help to find fellow scientists
Can I start my own focus group ?
You are very welcome to do so. But you can also join an existing focus group on a related topic first, and over time start a new initiative from within that group or even ‘split’ of a new group if there are enough people to keep both groups viable.