Scientists across the globe are united in their concerns over climate change and surpassing the planetary boundaries. Photo Christian Lue via Unsplash Scientists4Future, a ‘coalition of concerned scientists’ is to have a branch in Wageningen. At least, that is the plan of initiators Ignas Heitkönig (assistant professor at Wildlife Ecology and Conservation), Susanne van Donk and Geert Aarts (researchers at Wageningen Marine Research).
The initiators say that S4F Wageningen should be considered a ‘collective group and a shared network of concerned and future-oriented peers’. They had been toying with the idea of a Wageningen branch; the recent protests by Dutch scientists against gas drilling formed the decisive push to take the step.
It is disturbing to see that the economic agenda is still leading
Heitkönig describes their motivation as follows: ‘Wageningen education and research are internationally renowned, but lectures and publications barely contribute to accelerating the transition towards a more sustainable world. It is disturbing to see that the economic agenda is still leading in policies while the indicators for climate and biodiversity are in the red across the board. We are clearly not doing enough.’
Meeting
Everyone affiliated with WUR is welcome to join: students, PhDs, supporting staff, faculty, researchers and alumni. A first meeting is scheduled in Gaia 1 on 25 October. Attendants will brainstorm how the Scientists4Future Wageningen can best be shaped during the meeting. You can register through the S4F Wageningen Teams group or by sending an email to Heitkönig.
Scientists4Future is a global movement of scientists from all disciplines, united in their concerns over climate change and the surpassing of the planetary boundaries. The Dutch Scientists4Future division was founded in the summer of 2019 and has branches in Amsterdam, Delft, Deventer, Enschede, Nijmegen and Utrecht.
