Advocacy – defending science or destroying it? Interviews with 47 climate scientists about their fundamental concerns
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20402189 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lydia Messling (0009-0002-4496-0612, Lydia Messling Consulting, UK), Yuyao Lu (0009-0001-9437-8615), Christel W Van Eck (0000-0001-9078-4985, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 479-494 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Public Understanding of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0963-6625 • E-ISSN: 1361-6609 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09636625251314164 |
| PMID | 39895515 |
| OpenAlex | W4407107564 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 37 |
The discourse on scientists’ involvement in climate advocacy has intensified, with a growing number participating in civil disobedience. This trend has sparked criticism within the academic community. We conducted 47 interviews with climate scientists about the fundamental concerns that underpin their arguments. Scientists worry that advocacy may compromise scientific impartiality and invite allegations of biased science and abuse of authority. Despite this, some scientists view informing and warning the public as their duty and as an act of defending science’s credibility. Concerns about independence and the role of scientists in society exist at both ends of the debate, underscoring the challenging landscape scientists currently navigate. While this article does not comment on the acceptability of advocacy, we propose that scientists engage in discussions about their duties and delineate the types of values deemed acceptable for incorporation in science communication about climate change
Climate change · Compromise · Credibility · Criticism · Deliberation · Duty · Engineering ethics · Environmental ethics · Global warming · Impartiality · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Science communication · Science education · Scientific consensus · Sociology · Climate Change and Geoengineering · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Conservation, Ecology, Wildlife Education · Law
Science, Policy, and the Value-Free Ideal
The Sage Handbook of Interview Research
The Structure of Science
Anomalous Anglophones? Contours of free market ideology, political polarization, and climate change attitudes in English-speaking countries, Western European and post-Communist states
Does Engagement in Advocacy Hurt the Credibility of Scientists? Results from a Randomized National Survey Experiment
The Communication of Value Judgements and its Effects on Climate Scientists’ Perceived Trustworthiness
The US News Media, Polarization on Climate Change, and Pathways to Effective Communication
Climate stories
The next generation of climate scientists as science communicators
The Honest Broker
Reassessing the Variables Used to Measure Public Perceptions of Scientists
What Factors Predict Scientists' Intentions to Participate in Public Engagement of Science Activities
The credibility of scientific expertise in a culture of suspicion
Science for the post-normal age
Less Talk, More Walk
The Professional Ethics of Witnessing Professionals
The Honest Broker versus the Epistocrat
Boundary-Work and the Demarcation of Science from Non-Science
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |