What is the scientific community's stance on climate activism?

Good morning,

It has been a busy week for climate activists. Last Friday, the Finnish Extinction Rebellion had two actions blocking Mannerheimintie and Pitkäsilta in Helsinki. On the same day, Just Stop Oil activists in London threw tomato soup at Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting at the National Gallery, asking: "What is worth more, art or life?"

Activism is a controversial topic dividing public opinion strongly. Questions such as "How will sitting on the street help the climate?" or "Can a small country like Finland make a difference?" are frequent in the discussion. What is the scientists' take on activism as a way to affect political decision-making?

In the field of climate sociology, there has been a strong consensus that activism is a central force in climate change prevention and mitigation; the scientific community considers civil disobedience among the most effective ways for an individual to contribute. There have also been numerous occasions where scientists themselves have joined climate activists. Research suggests that climate activism has

• shaped public opinion and brought pressure on decision-makers toward climate-friendly policy-making

• had a statistically significant connection to reduced gas house emissions

• strengthened the public acceptance of climate activism and reduced polarisation – perhaps against the general belief

• reduced the value of carbon-intensive companies' stocks momentarily

Instead of just quick wins, climate activism also aims to change societal structures and people's attitudes. These system-level changes are not visible within days or weeks of demonstrations – this being arguably a great source of skepticism towards the activists.

Here is a famous anecdote of impactful civil disobedience in the USA. In 1955 an African American woman Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger. The event led to a political movement resulting in the U.S. Supreme court stating that racial segregation in public transport is against the country's constitution. This extensive political movement and discussion around racism evolve and continue today, nearly 70 years later. Climate activism aims to make similar fundamental changes in the environmental policy discussion.

History has shown that it takes a long time for social movements like racial equality to progress and evolve. Despite similarities with social justice movements, there is a notion-worthy difference regarding the timeline of climate activism: with global disastrous environmental change proceeding, there is no time to wait several decades before making crucial policy interventions. In the face of these wicked problems and difficult world situation, a special thanks go to the climate activists' resilience.

Let's jump into this week's major headlines.

EU's Carbon Allowance (ETS) price development

UK's Carbon Allowance (ETS) price development

Major News Roundup

Reuters | Report: World's top finance firms continue to fuel deforestation. The world's largest financial institutions have increased their backing of companies in the agriculture, forestry and land use sector. These sectors are the most responsible for deforestation, according to the report issued by the Forest & Finance Coalition.

YLE | European dependency on imported energy: after Putin, countries may be liable to turn to other autocrats in the Middle East and Northern Africa. For example, Italy made extensive energy import contract with Algeria, and Bulgaria has a new energy contract with Azerbaidžan.

Aljazeera | Floods in Nigeria cause death toll over 600; a thousand people have been evacuated.

The Guardian | Rich countries must urgently help poor nations hit by climate crisis, says V20. The V20 refers to the 20 most vulnerable countries facing the worst impacts of climate crisis.

The Guardian | One dead and two missing after Greek island of Crete hit by flash flooding. A torrential rain brought major flooding to Crete.

The Guardian | Ban on commercial whaling contested: countries, including Antigua and Barbuda propose "sustainable whaling". The 40-year-old ban on commercial whaling has saved hundreds and thousands of whales.

WWF | Living Planet Report 2022: Alarming 69 % drop in vertebrate wildlife populations on average since 1970. The monitored wildlife populations include mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

Latest environmental news from Finland

YLE | Finnish minister of the environment at odds with the Finnish Forest Industries (Metsäteollisuus ry) on forest restoration and its costs. According to the European Commission, the restoration required in the proposal for Nature Restoration Law would cost Finland close to €1 billion annually.

• Uusi Suomi | Ohisalo proposes 'Doughnut Economy': a system where limits for economic growth are defined by planetary and social boundaries.

• HS | Finland joins three heavily forested EU countries to defend forestry interests in the EU ministerial meetings. Other countries in the newly-formed coalition called 'For Forests' are Sweden, Austria, and Slovenia.

YLE | Finland's First 'circular economy building' planned in Tampere. The pioneering circular economy building will have a smaller carbon footprint because recycled building materials replace the need for new concrete components.

YLE | Swedish company Eolus plans two large wind farms near Satakunta region. The planned wind turbines would produce electricity in the 2030s.

YLE | Water pump damage may further delay electricity production at Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor. According to the facility's operator Teollisuuden Voima, the damage will not affect safety at the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant site.

Climate Pledges and action

HS | Electricity companies Fortum and Helen show interest in building small modular reactors in Finland. Fortum will start an extensive investigation of requirements for building SMRs in Finland.

Reuters | Sasol joins ArcelorMittal to explore green hydrogen and carbon capture projects. South African petrochemicals company Sasol (SOLJ.J) announced on Tuesday it was partnering with steelmaker ArcelorMittal South Africa (ACLJ.J) to explore carbon capture technology and steel production using green hydrogen.

Reuters | Australia and Singapore to sign 'green economy' pact. The pact made on Tuesday includes boosting cooperation on climate investment, technology, and finance.

Reuters | Increase in the global carbon capture project pipeline. The pipeline for projects to capture and store carbon emissions has grown around 44% in the past twelve months, according to the Global CCS Institute think-tank. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has been used primarily to enhance oil well production rates, but rising carbon prices in regions such as Europe make it a potential stand-alone business case in the future.

BBC | UK's advertising regulator bans two HSBC climate change advertisements. According to the UK watchdog, the banned posters' message was "misleading" about the company's work to tackle climate change; this marks the UK's Advertising Standard Authority's first action against a bank for greenwashing.

Latest from the academics on environment, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration

World Resources Institute Study: 'Massive gaps' in countries' plans to tackle climate change. The latest pledges by countries to tackle global warming under the Paris Agreement are "woefully inadequate" to avert a rise in global temperatures that scientists say will worsen droughts, storms, and floods, according to the report. (Reuters)

Study: Finnish youth among the greatest sufferers of climate anxiety. The study was conducted in 32 countries showing that climate anxiety is positively related to the rate of exposure to information about climate change impacts and the amount of attention people pay to climate change information. A positive link was also found regarding pro-environmental behaviors, with Finland placing at 1. place. The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. (HS)

A pioneering study on wind turbines and insects: researchers have estimated that wind turbines kill 1,2 trillion insects annually in Germany alone. This may have concerning effects on insect populations in the long run. (HS)

Study: advanced plastics recycling yields climate benefits, reduce demand for energy sources, and opens possibilities to expand the circular economy. Researchers examined 13 recently completed life cycle assessments (LCAs) and found that advanced recycling can transform hard-to-recycle plastics into products with a smaller carbon footprint than those made from new resources. The processes also reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional end of life methods, such as landfilling and waste-to-energy.

Open sustainability positions

Picture of the week: Karine Aigne wins the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year with The Big Buzz

Sources for "What is the scientific community's stance on climate activism?"

• Elokapina päätti mielenosoituksen Mannerheimintiellä ja piti toisen Pitkälläsillalla – poliisi otti kiinni 53 mielenosoittajaa – YLE  

• Elokapinasta ja aktivismista: mitä tutkimus sanoo? – J.M. Korhonen

• Just Stop Oil activists throw soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers – The Guardian

• Capstick et al. "Civil disobedience by scientists helps press for urgent climate action" – Nature Climate Change