Open Letter: Stop attempts to criminalise nonviolent climate protest

As academics researching climate and environmental change, we have been encouraged to see increased focus on climate in politics and society in recent years. Considering the current trajectory of planetary change, such attention is welcome, even though action is still lacking. We know that our research alone was not enough for this recent awakening to climate breakdown as an existential crisis for humanity, and recognise that protest movements around the world have raised the alarm.

Protestors have been successful in getting the public, the media, and policymakers to pay attention to climate change. They have identified and sought to delegitimise actors (industrial, financial and political) that are responsible for driving greenhouse gas emissions and ecosystem destruction. Through non-violent civil disobedience, activists, from the Student Strikes, Sunrise Movement, Extinction Rebellion, and many other groups, such as indigenous water and earth protectors, have convinced cities and countries around the world to declare climate emergencies, halted polluting infrastructures and created political momentum for transformative change, such as the Green New Deal.

But around the world today, those who put their voices and bodies on the line to raise the alarm are being threatened and silenced by the very countries they seek to protect. We are gravely concerned about the increasing criminalisation and targeting of climate protestors around the world.

Beyond the draconian Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that seeks to criminalise nonviolent protest in the United Kingdom, worrying developments elsewhere include new laws in multiple US states that threaten nonviolent protestors with lengthy prison sentences, a new Terror Law proposed in the Philippines which would threaten climate activists, laws against protestors in France, the arrest and imprisonment of climate strikers such as Disha Ravi in India, and fossil fuel corporations directly targeting environmental rights lawyer Steve Donziger in the United States, Andy Gheorghiu in Canada and many others globally.

This is of course in addition to the already dangerous situation of many environmental activists and indigenous earth defenders, especially in the Global South.

With the upcoming Conference of the Parties of the UN Climate Change Convention (COP26) in Glasgow, and the urgency for global action accelerating as global warming already reaches 1.2°C, 2021 is a critical year for climate governance. It has become abundantly clear that governments don’t act on climate without pressure from civil society: threatening and silencing activists thus seems to be a new form of anti-democratic refusal to act on climate.

We, the undersigned, therefore urge all governments, courts and legislative bodies around the world to halt and reverse attempts to criminalise nonviolent climate protest.

• Professor Julia Steinberger, Universities of Lausanne & Leeds
• Dr Oscar Berglund, University of Bristol
• Dr Charlie Gardner, University of Kent
• Distinguished Professor Michael Mann, Penn State University
• Professor Piers Foster, University of Leeds
• Dr Anna Pirani, International Centre for Theoretical Physics
• Professor Felix Creutzig, Berlin Institute of Technology
• Dr Leah Goldfarb, Universite Paris Saclay
• Dr Yamina Saheb, Lausanne University
• Professor Tommy Wiedmann, UNSW Sydney Professor Dan Lunt, University of Bristol
• Dr Céline Guivarch, Ecole de Ponts ParisTech
• Professor Catherine Mitchell University of Exeter
• Prof. Dr. Olaf Eisen, Alfred Wegener Institute & University of Bremen
• Professor Dana Fisher, University of Maryland
• Dr Peter Gleick, Pacific Institute
• Professor Stefan Rahmstorf, University of Potsdam
• Professor Wim Thiery, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Dr Jess Britton, University of Exeter
• Dr Katharine Wilkinson, The All We Can Save Project
• Professor Richard Pancost, University of Bristol
• Professor John Marsham University of Leeds
• Prof Dr Claire Dupont, Ghent University
• Professor Paul Valdes, University of Bristol
• Dr Sarah Mander, University of Manchester
• Dr Heather Price, North Seattle College
• Professor Chris Rapley, University College London
• Professor Edward Maibach, George Mason University
• Professor Wouter Poortinga, Cardiff University
• Dr Kirsten Hall, Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
• Prof Dr Peter Knippertz, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
• Dr Romina Martin, Stockholm Resilience Centre
• Professor David Schlosberg, University of Sydney
• Professor Bob Smith, University of Kent
• Prof. dr. Thomas Block, Ghent University
• Professor Patrick Belmont, Utah State University
• Professor Anne Tallontire, University of Leeds
• Professor Callum Roberts, University of Exeter
• Professor Valérie D'Acremont, University of Lausanne
• Professor James Bullock, U.K. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
• Professor Andrew Challinor,The University of Leeds
• Professor Chris Taylor, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
• Professor Martin Todd, University of Sussex
• Professor Alan Blyth, University of Leeds
• Emeritus Professor Christine Willmore, University of Bristol
• Professor Rachel Aldred, University of Westminster
• Professor Susan Page, University of Leicester
• Professor Iain Stewart, University of Plymouth
• Professor Iain Fraser, University of Kent
• Prof. Dr. Michael Getzner, Vienna Univ of Technology
• Professor Steve Depoe, University of Cincinnati
• Professor Philip Pogge von Strandmann, UCL
• Professor Matthew Cotton, Teeside University
• Professor Anthony Burke, UNSW
• Professor Olaf Corry, University of Leeds
• Professor Rosa Galvez, Université Laval
• Professor Nathan Phillips, Boston University
• Professor Dargan M. W. Frierson, University of Washington
• Professor Jem Bendell, University of Cumbria
• Professor Karen Holl, University of California, Santa Cruz
• Dr Peter Kalmus, NASA
• Dr Dann Mitchell, University of Bristol
• Dr James Dyke, University of Exeter
• Dr Michael Soreghan, University of Oklahoma
• Dr Stuart Capstick, Cardiff University
• Dr Paul Glantz, Stockholm University
• Dr Erik Pihl, Future Earth Secretariat
• Dr Diana Ivanova, University of Leeds
• Dr Ola Kalén, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute
• Dr Sarah Klain, Utah State University
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Pleil, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences
• Professor Eric Herring, University of Bristol
• Professor Nick Cowern, Newcastle University
• Professor Colin Davis, University of Bristol
• Professor Barry McMullin, Dublin City University
• Professor Sandy Tubeuf, Université catholique de Louvain
• Professor Ruth Muñoz, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento
• Professor Paul Kleiman, Middlesex University & Rose Bruford College
• Professor Stef Craps, Ghent University
• Professor Deborah Morrison, University of Oregon
• Professor Myriam Dumortier, Ghent University
• Prof. Dr. Christel Stalpaert, Ghent University
• Professor Katrien Van Poeck, Ghent University & Uppsala University
• prof. dr. ir. Patrick Van Damme, Czech University of Life Sciences
• Professor John M. McArthur, University College London
• Professor Lieven Bervoets, University of Antwerp
• Professor Henrik Lagerlund, Stockholm University
• Professor Tom Corby, University of the Arts London
• Professor Adam Thorpe, University of the Arts London
• Professor Michele Carducci, University of Salento
• Emerita Distinguished Professor Stella Capek, Hendrix College
• Professor Andrew Jorgenson, Boston College
• Professor Dustin Mulvaney, San José State University
• Professor Elizabeth Pickard, Portland State University
• Professor Emeritus Andrew Szasz, University of California, Santa Cruz
• Professor Eric Beinhocker, University of Oxford
• Professor Ilona Otto, University of Graz
• Professor Jago Dodson, RMIT University
• Professor Phaedra C. Pezzullo, University of Colorado Boulder
• Professor Stacy D VanDeveer, Univ of Massachusetts Boston
• Professor Timmons Roberts, Brown University
• Dr Scott Archer-Nicholls, University of Cambridge
• Dr Aaron Thierry, Cardiff University
• Dr Yung En Chee, University of Melbourne
• Dr Stella Nyambura, LOABOWA
• Dr Steven Earl Salmony, AWAREness Campaign on the Human Population
• Dr Alexandra Morel, University of Dundee
• Dr Maria Johansson, Researchers Desk
• Dr Graham Mann, University of Leeds
• Dr Graeme Hayes, Aston University
• Dr Anais Tilquin, ETH Zurich
• Dr Benjamin Bowman, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Dr Salvatore Paolo De Rosa, Lund University
• Dr Pauline von Hellermann, Goldsmiths University
• Dr Petra Verdonk, Amsterdam UMC-VU University
• Dr Hugo Reinert, University of Oslo
• Dr Alice Moncaster, Open University
• Dr Declan Finney, Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship
• Dr Thomas Smith, Masaryk University
• Dr Cameron Brick, University of Amsterdam
• Dr Rama Mohana Turaga, IIM Ahmedabad, India
• Dr Lucie Middlemiss, University of Leeds
• Dr Duncan McLaren, Lancaster University
• Dr Peter-Paul Pichler, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
• Dr Sabaheta Ramcilovik-Suominen, Natural Resources Institute Finland
• Dr Niheer Dasandi, University of Birmingham
• Dr Jordan Chetcuti, Trinity College Dublin
• Dr Tristram Wyatt, University of Oxford
• Dr Jessika Richter, Lund University
• Dr James Graham, University of East Anglia
• Dr Jonas Van der Slycken, Ghent University
• Dr Ignas Heitkönig, Wageningen University
• Dr Robert Watt, University of Manchester
• Dr Fernando Racimo, University of Copenhagen
• Dr Sarah Greene, University of Birmingham
• Dr Richard Sherley, University of Exeter
• Dr Jessica Mitchell University of Leeds
• Dr Mary Menton University of Sussex
• Dr Matthias Schmelzer, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
• Dr Kriti Mukherjee, University of Northern British Columbia
• Dr Stuart Campbell, University of Sheffield
• Dr Markus Adloff, University of Birmingham
• Dr M. Cristina Caimotto, University of Turin
• Dr Ethemcan Turhan, University of Groningen
• Dr Tim Hewlett, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
• Dr Katharine Orchel, University of Exeter
• Dr Tom Barker, CAT, Wales
• Dr Orla Kelly, University College Dublin
• Dr Lina Brand Correa, University of Leeds
• Dr Sara Vicca, University of Antwerp
• Dr Natalie Lord, University of Bristol
• Dr Andreas Heinemeyer, University of York
• Dr Valeria Scagliotti, King's College London
• Dr Ursula Balderson, University of Leeds
• Dr Alex Giurca, University of Freiburg, Germany
• Dr Aaron Sparks, Elon University
• Dr Alison Green, Scientists Warning Foundation
• Dr Franziska Elmer, School for field studies
• Dr Andrew Ringsmuth, University of Graz
• Dr Jasper Kenter, University of York
• Dr David Crookall, Université Côte d'Azur & International Ocean-Climate School
• Dr Aneeque Javaid, MCC Berlin
• Dr Leo van Kampenhout, Utrecht University
• Dr Mark Harrison, University of Exeter & Leicester
• Dr Richard Lane, University of Sussex
• Dr Ersilia Verlinghieri, University of Oxford and University of Westminster
• Dr Juan Pablo Orjuela, University of Oxford
• Dr Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz, University of Exeter
• Dr Graziano Ceddia, University of Bern
• Dr Fergus Green, Utrecht University
• Dr Nick Royle, University of Exeter
• Dr Isabelle Letellier, Stockholm University
• Dr Maria Rovisco, University of Leeds
• Dr Kelly McKinney, John Abbott College
• Dr Benjamin Allen, Emmanuel College, Boston MA
• Dr Anne Winther, Centre for Human Ecology
• Dr Federica Ricci, Università di Bologna
• Dr Michel Tsamados, University College London
• Dr Judith Dellheim, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
• Dr Paola Sakai, University of Leeds
• Dr Guy Pe'er, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Reasearch
• Dr Viktoria Spaiser, University of Leeds
• Dr Hanne Cottyn, University of York
• Dr Christian März, University of Leeds
• Dr Jim McQuaid, University of Leeds
• Dr Charikleia Oikonomou, University of Lisbon
• Dr Brian Jones, University of Hong Kong
• Dr Laura Kehoe, University of Oxford
• Dr Melanie Bergmann, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
• Dr Kerry Burton, University of Exeter
• Dr Richard A. Davis, Wesley House, Cambridge
• Dr Alister Scott, The One Leadership Project
• Dr Alex Krause, University College London
• Dr Christoph D D Rupprecht, Ehime University
• Dr Carlie Trott, University of Cincinnati
• Dr Chris Duckworth, University of Southampton
• Dr Andrew Biro, Acadia University
• Dr Jerome Hilaire, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
• Dr Heather Alberro, Nottingham Trent University
• Dr Johannes Gütschow, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
• Assoc. Prof. Johannes Schmidt, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
• Dr Peter Doran, Lecturer in law and sustainability, Queens University Belfast
• Dr George Adamson, King’s College London
• Dr Julia Leventon, Czech Academy of Science, Institute of global change research,
• Dr Minna Kanerva, University of Bremen
• Dan Phillips, Royal College of Art
• Dr George Adamson, King’s College London
• Dr Germán Gonzalez Davila, Interdisciplinary Centre on Biodiversity and Environment
• Dr Rachel Killean Queen’s University Belfast
• Dr Andrew L. Fanning, University of Leeds
• Dr Joanna Boehnert, Loughborough University
• Dr Jacquelyn Gill, University of Maine
• Dr Andrew Jackson, University College Dublin
• Dr Kristian Steensen Nielsen, University of Cambridge
• Dr José Cerca, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• Dr James Porter, King’s College London
• Dr Hugo Almeida, NOVA University of Lisbon
• Dr Anthony Delcambre, Faculté de médecine de Lille
• Dipl.-Geogr. Harald Sterly, University of Vienna
• Dr Daniele Visioni, Cornell University
• Dr Johannes Többen, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
• Dr Elena Popa, Utrecht University
• Dr Matt Lae, Bath Spa University
• Dr Jessica Hope, University of St Andrews
• Ian Christie, University of Surrey
• Dr Heather Shearer, Griffith University
• Dr Emmylou Rahtz, University of Exeter
• Dr Hikmet Kuran, Cappadocia University
• Dr Brigitte Portner, University of Bern
• Dr Alison Blyth, Curtin University
• Dr Paul Young, Lancaster University
• Assistant Professor Marlyne Sahakian, University of Geneva
• Dr Aet Annist, University of Tartu & Tallinn University
• Dr Disa Sauter, University of Amsterdam
• Dr Maximilian Spiegelberg, FEAST
• Dr Leo van Kampenhout, Utrecht University
• Dr Jevgeniy Bluwstein, University of Fribourg
• Dr Halvor Dannevig, Western Norway Research Institute
• Dr Miles Thompson, UWE Bristol
• Dr Jane Fisher, Centre for Alternative Technology
• Dr Aurianne Stroude, National University of Ireland, Galway
• Dr Abel Gustafson, University of Cincinnati
• Dr Miriam Meissner, Maastricht University
• Dr Alejandro Dussailant, Middlesex University
• Dr Christina Kwauk, Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Education Project
• Dr Chiara Certomà, University of Turin
• Dr Alex Thornton, University of Exeter
• Dr Emma Tebbs, King's College London
• Dr Jef Peeters, KU Leuven
• Dr Ann-Kristin Koehler, University of Leeds
• Dr Leif Dahlberg, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
• Dr Andrea Brock, University of Sussex
• Dr Harold Heorton, University College London
• Dr Caroline Greiser, Stockholm University
• Dr Malin Beckman, Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences
• Dr Ailish Graham, University of Leeds
• Dr Aisling Dolan, University of Leeds
• Dr Cat Scott, University of Leeds
• Dr Charles Simpson, British Antarctic Survey
• Dr Chris Smith, University of Leeds
• Dr Elena Bersacola, University of Exeter
• Dr ir Tom Cox, University of Antwerp
• Dr Jamie Shutler, University of Exeter
• Dr Jeannette Eggers, Swedish University of Agricultural Science
• Dr Jessica Baker, University of Leeds
• Dr Julien Lefèvre, CIRED Paris
• Dr Katy Roelich, University of Leeds
• Dr Kirsty Pringle, University of Leeds
• Dr Magnuz Engardt, Environment and Health Administration
• Dr Miriam Huitric, Stockholm University
• Dr Rachel Turner, University of Exeter
• Dr Rod Everett, Food Futures
• Dr Sam Hardy, University of Leeds
• Dr Sarah Chapman, University of Leeds
• Dr Stefan Gaarsmand Jacobsen, Roskilde University
• Dr Atanu Bhattacharya, JIS University
• Dr Jennifer Hinton, Stockholm University
• Dr Emma Garnett, University of Cambridge
• Dr Alexander Vorbrugg, University of Bern
• Dr Astrid Oberborbeck Andersen, Aalborg University
• Dr Brandon Kuczenski, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Dr Ekaterina Chertkovskaya, Lund University
• Dr Eric T. Hoddy, Lund University
• Dr Jens Friis Lund, University of Copenhagen
• Dr Juan Pablo Orjuela, University of Oxford
• Dr Julia Crook, University of Leeds
• Dr Julia Tindall, University of Leeds
• Dr Lauren C. Heberle, University of Louisville
• Dr Leif Denby, University of Leeds
• Dr Michael Mascarenhas, University of California, Berkeley
• Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker, Curtin University
• Dr Noel Healy, Salem State University
• Dr Samuel Hayes, University College Cork
• Dr Todd Mason La Porte, George Mason University
• Dr Vivien Fisch-Romito, CIRED
• Dr Adam Henne, Genesee Country Museum
• Dr Daniel Walls, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Dr Diane Sicotte, Drexel University
• Dr Erik Johnson, Washington State University
• Dr Geoffrey Supran, Harvard University
• Dr Jenan Kharbush, University of Michigan
• Dr Justin Mog, University of Louisville
• Dr Kimberly L. Barrett, Eastern Michigan University
• Dr Mila Turner, Florida A&M University
• Dr Peter Gleick, Pacific Institute
• Dr Reinhard Steurer, BOKU Vienna
• Dr Robyn Smyth, Bard College
• Dr Sarah Romano, Lesley University
• Dr Seth Tuler, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Thomas Nicholas, Columbia University
• Nick Fitzpatrick, Nova University Lisbon
• BSc. Melissa Jimenez Gomez Tagle, Technische Universität München, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí
• Tunc Ali Kütükcüoglu, University of Corsica
• Peter Knapp, Imperial College London
• Sam Betts-Davies, University of Leeds
• Jake Wilkinson, Cardiff University
• Angela Helen Martin, University of Agder
• Ellen Cliff, University of Oxford
• Richard Massy, University of Exeter
• Jane May Morrison, University of Exeter
• Calum Harvey-Scholes, University of Exeter
• Yannick Oswald, University of Leeds
• Shari Mang, University of Exeter
• Heinz Wittenbrink, FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences Graz
• Simon Pirani,University of Durham
• Hugh White, University of Exeter
• Ewoud Vandepitte, University of Antwerp
• Jen Clements, University of Exeter
• Paul R Price, Dublin City University
• Gert De Keersmaeker, Ghent University
• Jim Galloway, University of Exeter
• Andrea Rochner, University of Exeter
• Andrew Hamilton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Meenakshi Chabba, Florida Internatonal University
• Shane Loeffler, University of Minnesota
• Andrea Bacilieri, University of Oxford
• David Barns, University of Leeds
• Jef Teugels, University of Bolton
• Jamie Wilson, University of Leeds
• Kyle Topfer, Technische Universität Dresden
• Tom Wood, University of Leeds
• Tabea Waltenberg, Bonn Science Shop
• Ed Gemmell, Scientists Warning Europe
• Gwili Gibbon, University of Kent
• Vincent Theobald-Vega, Northumbria University
• Kate Lock, University of Leeds
• Graham Wood, Permaculture Association (GB)
• Steve Harry, King's College London
• Steve Marquis, Permaculture Association Britain
• Karen Simpson, University of the West of England
• Caroline Hickman, University of Bath
• Louis O'Neill, University of Exeter, Macquarie University
• Furat Jamal, University of Al_Qasem
• Steven Harry, King's College London
• Thierry Fabrice Pignolet, Université Libre de Bruxelles & Universidad de Antioquia Colombia
• David Jácome-Polit, Universidad de las Américas, Ecuador
• Nina White, Cardiff university
• Jenna Tipaldo, City University of New York
• Aminu Lawal, University of Bristol
• Jefim Vogel, University of Leeds
• Zakia Soomauroo, Berlin Institute of Technology
• Marta Baltruszewicz, University of Leeds
• Beth Stratford, University of Leeds
• Andrew Simms, University of Sussex
• Hannah Fitchett, University of St Andrews
• Diego Macall, University of Saskatchewan
• Martin Röck, KU Leuven and Graz University of Technology
• Samuel Ward, University of York
• Jarmo Kikstra, Imperial College London & International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
• Seb O'Connor, University of Leeds
• Marina Requena, Universitat Jaume I
• Margot Bannerman, CSM University of the Arts London
• Amanda L. Martinek, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Vera Huwe, University of Duisburg-Essen
• Stephanie Lam, University of Cincinnati
• Emmanuel-Sathya Gray, University of Cincinnati
• Irma Emmery, Ghent University
• Emma Theobald, University of Exeter
• Jennifer Grigg, University of Exeter
• Femke Lootens, Ghent University
• Eleanor Scopes, University of Exeter
• Duncan Lindo, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
• Basia Cieszewska, University of Exeter
• Taís González, Université Libre de Bruxelles
• Julia Kukulies, University of Gothenburg
• Kevin Van Sundert, University of Antwerp
• Amethyst Johnson, University of Leeds
• Anya Schlich-Davies, University of Leeds
• Boris van Meurs, Radboud University
• Catrin Norris, University of Exeter
• Connor Clayton, University of Leeds
• David Unland, University of Bremen
• Emily Vosper, University of Bristol
• Ian Sullivan, University of Leeds
• Karin gerhardt, Swedish university of Agricultural Sciences
• Klaudia Jedyka, University of Manchester
• Lennart Winkeler, University of Bremen
• Maarten Deleye, Uppsala University
• Martin Benson, Stony Brook University
• Maximilian Tschol, University of Aberdeen
• Mélanie Quennoz, Agroscope, Switzerland
• Niclas Hällström, Uppsala University
• Stephen Denison, University of Leeds
• Thomas Pownall, University of Exeter
• Trystan Surawy-Stepney, University of Leeds
• Xuemei Wang, University of Leeds
• Anne Barber, University of Leeds
• Rachel Sansom, University of Leeds
• Athanasios Nenes, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
• Craig Harris, Michigan State University
• Debra Rowe, Oakland Community College
• Frederic Traylor, Rutgers University
• Halliki Kreinin, Institute for Ecological Economics, WU Vienna
• Ines Wolf, TU Berlin
• James M. Joyce, University of Louisville
• James R. Stone, Mt San Antonio College
• Joris Bücker, University of Oxford
• Justin Szasz, University of Oregon
• Nicole Lambrou, UCLA
• Patricia Earl, University of West London
• Patrick Coatar Peter, Boston College
• Rachel Whitbeck, Rhein-Waal University
• Satu Helenius, University of Eastern Finland
• Simone Domingue, University of Colorado Boulder
• Sol Agin, Karlstad University
• Sophie Gill, University of Oxford
• Stacy Philpott, University of California, Santa Cruz