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Scientist Rebellion
@ScientistRebel1
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@ScientistRebel1
The public needs to hear from trusted experts that they are not only being failed but also deceived. Promises of ‘net zero by 2050’ will not avert catastrophe. How can governments be held to account if citizens don’t know?
A quote by Professor Johan Rockström, Director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research from October 2021: "A rise of 1.5C is not an arbitrary number, it is not a political number. It is a planetary boundary." Next to the quote is a black and white photo of Prof. Johan Rockström with a serious face. In the background, a devastating forest fire can be seen with bright yellow flames in front of a dusky purple sky. Quote from The Guardian. Link: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/30/climate-experts-warn-world-leaders-15c-is-real-science-not-just-talking-point
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Scientist Rebellion
@ScientistRebel1
While the public does not know, world-leading climate scientists most certainly do. 96% of surveyed IPCC authors believe we will far exceed 1.5°C of warming.
A graph titled "How much warming above pre-industrial times do you think is likely by 2100?" The graph shows what percentage of respondents believe which temperature will be reached. Only 4% of respondents answered 1.5°C. The temperature is circled in red. About 18% believe in 2 or 2.5°C. Almost 50% believe in 3°C. 4% believe in 3.5%. About 7% believe in 4°C. A footnote adds "includes 2 responses between 2.7°C and 2.75°C; 2.5°C and 3.5°C were write-in answers." The graph was taken from the journal Nature
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Scientist Rebellion
@ScientistRebel1
The IPCC’s most optimistic scenario for staying below 1.5°C involves vast amounts of carbon being removed from the atmosphere to drag temperatures back down. None of these technologies work at scale today. It is a gamble of epic proportions.
A quote by Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Officer to UK Government, 12 July 2022: "If you take 2050, any technology that you can't see already working is not going to save our bacon because of the scale of which these things need to be introduced." A photo of Sir Patrick Vallance talking is next to the quote. He is wearing a grey suit with a green tie. Behind his image is an artwork showing dark clouds of smoke coming from a fabric with a black and white person capturing the smoke in a yellow butterfly net. The quote is from the Guardian. Link: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/13/sir-patrick-vallance-gives-emergency-climate-briefing-to-uk-mps
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Scientist Rebellion
@ScientistRebel1
By gambling on sci-fi tech or quietly hoping for a miracle, experts are not levelling with the public. Citizens are left undefended in the face of ongoing efforts by governments and the fossil fuel industry to resist rapid decarbonisation.
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Scientist Rebellion
@ScientistRebel1
It is not enough to repeatedly say ‘every fraction of a degree matters’ or we need ‘more political will’. Experts can no longer obscure the failure to meet a global goal with speculation about how that failure can be reversed.
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