Over 1,200 scientists are calling for the Royal Society to make an “unambiguous statement” about the fossil fuel industry’s role in the climate crisis.
An open letter stated that the society “has thus far failed to condemn fossil fuel companies that are building new infrastructure that will carry the world far beyond 1.5°C of warming and that are lobbying across the world to dictate the pace and terms of an energy transition that will protect their profits at the planet’s expense.”
The letter continues, saying oil and gas companies are “are committing an unprecedented act of violence against humanity, as the UN Secretary General António Guterres has clearly stated.”
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The Royal Society “recognises itself as a voice in the policy debate, but probably should take a more radical position in that debate,” the Guardian reported.
In a response to the letter, Royal Society president Adrian Smith acknowledged that climate change was “a real and present danger that is having a deadly impact around the world”.
He said the Royal Society had been “active on the science of climate change for decades and remains committed to ensuring that the harms and risks of climate change are addressed”.
Energy companies must “shift their activities to renewable energy sources more quickly”, he added. The Royal Society was focused on governments, in the UK and internationally, “who control the levers to drive rapid change across industry and wider society.”
A Royal Society spokesperson said a meeting between some of the scientists and representatives of the society was being arranged.
