SOME scientists, including James Hansen, Gail Whiteman, Phillip Williamson, Peter Kalmus and Michael Mann, have taken part in climate protests or acts of civil disobedience to advocate for urgent action on climate change. They have shown that many in the scientific community feel a moral obligation to engage in activism for climate action.

For example, Hansen, a former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) climate scientist, was arrested in 2011 during a protest against a coal export terminal. Whiteman was part of the Extinction Rebellion protests in London in 2019. Williamson, an expert in ocean biogeochemistry, was arrested during an Extinction Rebellion protest in London the same year. Kalmus, a NASA climate scientist, was arrested during a protest in Los Angeles in April 2022. And while Mann has not been arrested, he has participated in protests and actively supports civil disobedience actions.