What is the role of science and scientists with a problem as urgent as the climate? Scientists4Future NL unites scientists who feel they have an important role to fill in society. They aim to inform and warn the public, ‘just like medical doctors have a moral duty to warn of an impending epidemic’. With the worldwide climate marches coming up on September 27th, Michiel in 't Zandt, junior researcher in Microbiology at Radboud University, has written an op-ed arguing that scientists should pick up this role. Many Dutch scientists are worried about climate change. However, this concern is rarely expressed, which is worrisome. Some do not consider it as part of their work, while others are afraid for e.g. negative reporting in the media and supposed loss of scientific integrity. Scientists4Future NL is a space to discuss and address these concerns and find ways for scientists to be more involved in the climate debate. Scientists4Future NL has been established in the summer of 2019 by a group of scientists, in order to strive for a more active role in the climate crisis. On Friday the 27th of September, many people, scientists and non-scientists alike, will join the climate strike in The Hague (the Netherlands) to express their concerns. We have drafted a collaborative statement supporting these concerns. We consider it our responsibility to step up and support society by providing the scientific evidence that is needed in the discussion. More awareness, more engagement Our role includes establishing an understanding of the relationship between climate change and, for instance, the increased frequency of natural disasters, changing ecosystems, and biodiversity loss, the unequal contributions of nations to climate change, and the unequal geographic distribution of climate impacts. People that are more aware of the scale of the risks that climate change poses are more likely to engage with stronger efforts and policies Multiple emergency situations regarding the climate, biodiversity, and the transition to a sustainable society, pose humanity with unprecedented challenges. All of these require far-reaching and immediate changes on many levels, including the political, economical, social, cultural, scientific, and personal landscape. We consider it our task as scientists to raise our voice, and to raise it now. Supporting the concerns of climate strikers The core of our group currently exists of about 10 scientists from different career levels and universities. Our public statement is the first concrete step to bring our message to a wider audience, supporting the concerns of the climate strikers for an urgent step-change in action to cut emissions and stabilize the climate. We would like to invite every scientist to read and sign the statement. We consciously try to represent a large and diverse group of scientists. In 10 days, nearly 1,500 scientists have signed the statement, and we aim to get many more scientists aboard. Currently, this is the largest public statement ever released by Dutch scientists in response to climate change. With many initiatives all across the globe I see we can unite the scientific community that is concerned about human-induced climate change. Radboud Impact Day On Thursday 18 November 2021, the week before Black Friday, Radboud University will conduct a one-day national campaign to urge people to think about their consumer behaviour and how they can impact the future through education and research. You can help to make a difference. Do you want to know how? More information For more information on Scientists4Future NL, please visit our website or check out our Facebook or Twitter page. Image by Goran Horvat from Pixabay