Dear Geraint,

We're writing to you as a group of UCL staff and students who are extremely concerned about the UK’s ongoing failure to take the urgent and system-changing actions that are necessary to mitigate the worst effects of the ongoing climate and ecological emergency (CEE) - failures that UCL researchers and academics have themselves stressed and that UCL publicises. [1] [2]

We are aware that UCL contributes hugely to research on different aspects of the climate crisis, and of the UCL sustainability strategy commitment to operate in a sustainable and socially responsible way. The sustainability strategy vision also contains the aim that ‘UCL must shape the debate. As world leaders in research, we want to spark debate and co-create sustainability solutions with the wider world’. We believe that UCL should be much more visible and urgent as an institution to act on its vision to ‘shape the debate’ - so we’d like to know what the University is currently doing or plans to do in terms of lobbying, influencing and pressuring governments and other major institutions and businesses to take radical action on climate change.

Furthermore, UCL staff and students are increasingly seeking to shape the debate themselves as individuals. Many passionately believe their greatest impact is to pressure governments and institutions to take the drastic action required to tackle the CEE, via direct individual participation in non violent direct action (NVDA). The strategy of NVDA is increasingly utilised and endorsed by members of the scientific and academic communities [3] [4] [5].

October bears witness to the latest national waves of non violent direct action from climate groups. With recent changes in legislation such as the PCSC Bill, and the Government’s ever-growing hostility towards climate protestors, the chances of arrest, and the possible consequences, are greater than ever. But the consequences of inaction are even graver.

We request that UCL make clear that it supports staff and student involvement in non violent climate activism that goes beyond individual personal actions for sustainability. We request that UCL’s vision of climate action - for which it is so outspoken - encompasses activism and non violent direct action, and individuals who choose to take these steps can feel supported by this institution.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Yours sincerely,

John Draper, Div of Psychology & Lang Sciences
Kate Jeffery, Experimental Psychology
Mark Newman, IOE - Social Research Institute
Susan Michie, Clinical, Edu & Hlth Psychology
Maarten Speekenbrink, Experimental Psychology
Hannah Spikesley, Div of Psychology & Lang Sciences
Shana Sullivan, Dept of Physics & Astronomy
Mark Engineer, HR
Rachel Rosen, Social Research Institute
David Curtis, UCL Genetics Institute
Joanne Santini, Structural & Molecular Biology
Laura Zaikauskaite, Div of Psychology & Lang Sciences
Emma Francis, Div of Psychology & Lang Sciences
Sean Doyle, Learning and Leadership (IOE)
Caroline Pelletier, CCM
Philip Pogge von Strandmann, Earth Sciences
Robert Mok, Experimental Psychology
Dimitar Kostadinov, WIBR
Jamie Brown, Behavioural Science & Health
Sam Gilbert, Cognitive Neuroscience
Katherine Woolf, Faculty of Medical Sciences
Patrick Bailey, EPS
Claire Garnett, Behavioural Science & Health
Simon Hoyte, Anthropology
Bill McGuire, Earth Sciences
David Stansby, Advanced Research Computing
Emily Gardner, Computer Science
Karen Schucan Bird, Social Research Institute
Josh Stott, Clinical Educational and Health Psychology
Maxim Ballmer, Earth Sciences
Stephen Ball, IOE
David Osrin, Institute for Global Health
Rachel Rosen, Social Research Institute
...

[1] UK needs to step up efforts to mitigate climate change, 16 June 2021, https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/jun/uk-needs-step-efforts-mitigate-climate-change
[2] Evidence supports urgent action to halve emissions by 2030, 4 April 2022, https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2022/apr/evidence-supports-urgent-action-halve-emissions-2030
[3] Capstick, S., Thierry, A., Cox, E. et al. Civil disobedience by scientists helps press for urgent climate action. Nat. Clim. Chang. 12, 773–774 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01461-y
[4] Scientists’ Declaration of Support for Non-Violent Direct Action Against Government Inaction over the Climate and Ecological Emergency, May 7 2020, Scientists for XR, https://www.scientistsforxr.earth/
[5] Lai, O. Climate scientists mobilised across the world in largest scientist-led civil disobedience. Earth.org https://go.nature.com/3QPhvRv (2022).
[6] Gardner, C. J. et al. From Publications to Public Actions: The Role of Universities in Facilitating Academic Advocacy and Activism in the Climate and Ecological Emergency, Front. Sustain. 2, 679019 (2021).