Dear scientists: we stand with you and for you

We are witnessing attacks on science and evidence-based policymaking in the U.S. at a scale we have not experienced in our lifetimes. We, former and current members of the 500 Women Scientists leadership team, are gathering in support of our community across the world in this critical moment.

We, 500 Women Scientists, know it is critical to bear witness to what is happening, bring community together, and build collective power to fight back. We are here to stand up to the rapid normalization of fascist rhetoric and actions, to stand against cuts to science and education more broadly, and to leverage our growing community to find small and large ways to fight back. Working together, we can still win.

Who pays the price for climate change? Examples of environmental injustice continue to grow.

This summer, the people living in Pakistan have faced an unrelenting series of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, forest fires, multiple glacial lake outbursts, and now, flash floods, coupled with a prolonged monsoon season. 

This is a climate catastrophe.

The widespread flooding in Pakistan has resulted in over 1,000 deaths since mid-June, impacting over 30 million, with the destruction of homes, crops, roads, bridges and more critical infrastructure across all four provinces in Pakistan. Right now, first responders, the military and volunteers are working to evacuate stranded Pakistanis, deliver food to remote regions, and mitigate the spread of waterborne diseases. Agencies estimate that about 6.5 million Pakistanis need shelter, food, potable water and medicine. 

This is environmental injustice.

As BBC noted, “Pakistan produces less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions but ranks consistently in the top 10 countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.” Early estimates state that these floods alone have cost Pakistan USD 10 billion. This  is not an isolated incident. People living in South Asia are more likely to die from climate crisis impacts.

This is a foreshadowing of the extreme weather that is happening, and is to come, as a result of climate change. 

Millions of people across India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have also been affected by raging floods and landslides. Rainfall, flooding and mudslides in western China are estimated to have left about 1,000 dead. In Ghana, fishers and fishmongers are struggling to catch fish, leaving fishing communities, especially women, very vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change. Europe is grappling with record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires across the Mediterranean. In the US, wildfires in California and flooding in the south east threaten lives and are wreaking havoc on infrastructure. 

As António Guterres, the United Nations’ Secretary-General, aptly said last week: “Let’s stop sleepwalking towards the destruction of our planet by climate change. Today, it is Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”

Photo by Dibakar Roy on Unsplash

Today, we ask that you take action to specifically support the people of Pakistan as they struggle for survival at the frontlines of climate change, and all those around the world who are also facing climate crises.

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WHAT WE CAN DO TODAY:

• If you are able to, donate what you can to organizations who are leading relief efforts to evacuate stranded Pakistanis, deliver food and mitigate waterborne diseases:

  • Established in 1951, the Edhi Foundation is a Pakistan-based non-profit social welfare organization. The Edhi Foundation has launched a flood relief campaign to provide cooked food, dry ration packs, tarpaulin sheets, medical aid and other non-food essential items to those impacted by floods.

  • Established in 1984, Islamic Relief is a global humanitarian and development agency working in over 45 countries to assist and transform the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. They have launched an appeal for the floods in Pakistan to provide food, cash grants and buy pumps to remove water from flooded homes.

  • You can find additional relief campaigns to support here (scroll horizontally to column L for links).

• The United Nations has issued an appeal for $160 million in emergency funding to Pakistan, led by the Government of Pakistan. Call your representatives and ask them to support this appeal, and to take action to mitigate the consequences of climate change in Pakistan, and across the world.

• Show support and solidarity. Re-share information about how flooding has impacted Pakistan, as well as calls for donations, in your personal networks. Take the time to speak with your family and friends about how climate change is impacting Pakistan, and countries across the world.

• Learn more about the impacts of climate change in your local area. For example, if you live in Canada, use the Climate Atlas to explore how climate change will impact your community. If you live in the UK, use this tool (created by the BBC and the Met Office) to explore what climate change will look like near you.

BlackLivesMatter: We demand justice for Black lives lost to police violence

“He was ours. He was love. He came from us.” These were the words spoken by Naisha Wright after the murder of her nephew, Daunte Wright, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer earlier this week. 

This is the same week — in the same county — where George Floyd’s murderer stands trial. The fact that Daunte Wright was a former student of Floyd’s ex-girlfriend speaks to how pervasive police violence is. 

This is the same week we saw footage of a seventh grader, Adam Toledo, running down a dark alley, away from the police. The chase ended with his hands in the air, and a police officer’s bullet in his chest. He was unarmed, a 13 year old.

A child.

In the past two weeks alone, five Black and Brown boys and young men have been murdered by a police state, including: 

Travon Chadwell, 18

Anthony Alvarez, 22

Iremamber Sykap, 16

We demand Justice. 

Next month marks the one year anniversary since the country took to the streets to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and countless other Black lives that have been lost to racism, police violence, and brutality.

These violent acts are a cruel irony as this week is the celebration of Black Maternal Health Week — a week where lawmakers, grassroots groups, and public health officials are focusing on ensuring Black mothers and children can thrive. Still, we lack action and accountability on the threat police violence poses to maternal mental health. No mother should have to get a phone call from her son, who fears for his life during a police stop, like Katie Wright did, or a phone call letting her know the unthinkable happened.

Black families, have the right to raise their children in a healthy and safe community. No one should have their children taken from them far too soon. In the words of Naisha Wright: it is “not because of a mistake. Because of a murder.” Too many Black mothers have been robbed of the opportunity to watch their kids grow, of the chance to see their kids feel safe and thrive in the world.

A new week begins on Monday. What can you do to push for next week to be different? And with it, a continued responsibility to push for a difference. We have a number of resources that can help you identify ways to take action and show support for #BlackLivesMatter

Previous posts: 

• #Teach4BlackLives: there is no business as usual, especially for our Black leaders. We love this concrete way to support our Black colleagues.

• Open Letter from Black Women of 500 Women Scientists Leadership

• Communicating Your Support For #Blacklivesmatter: Dos, Don’ts, And Resources

• White Women Must Support the Fight for Reproductive Justice

Other resources: 

Support Daunte Wright’s Family  

• Hypbae has some suggestions for how to take action in solidarity with Daunte Wright’s family: 

• Supporting Minnesota-based Reclaim the Block

• Develop a plan and call your representatives to put a stop to police brutality:

Photo by Dorrell Tibbs on Unsplash

We stand in solidarity with women who are fighting for human rights and democracy in Poland and Belarus. #IWD2021

Today, on this International Women’s Day, we stand in solidarity with women who are fighting for fundamental human rights, equality, and democracy in Poland and Belarus. To mark this year’s #IWD2021, women in Poland and Belarus continue to protest, facing criminal charges, jail, police brutality, and worse.

Quick scan of what has been going on in Belarus:

• Aleksandr G. Lukashenko won re-election in August 2020 over Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the wife of a jailed opposition figure. The validity of that re-election has been widely disputed. 

• Lukashenko has cracked down on opposition, jailing key opposition leaders or forcing them into exile. 

• Women have played a central role in the democratic opposition movement of Belarus, with leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as their emblem. Holding flowers and flags, they gather weekly, risking arrest, harassment and beating by government forces.

• Tikhanovskaya is currently in exile and women all over Belarus continue to protest and face brutality.

Quick scan of what has been going on in Poland:

• Women in Poland have been protesting increasing limits to access to abortion and reproductive freedom 

• A near total ban on abortion took effect in Poland in January 2021, despite strong public opposition from the majority of people in Poland.

• This abortion ban extends to pregnancies with fetal abnormalities. 

What we can do:

• Follow @HannaLiubakova and @TerryReintke to stay up to date on the events in Belarus and Poland, respectively

• Other accounts to follow: @BFreeTheatre and @ippfen

• Donate to Federation for Women and Family Planning and/or follow them @federapl

• Follow Media Solidarity Belarus campaign on Facebook (where you can also make a donation)

Photo by Jana Shnipelson on Unsplash

Take Action: State and federal agents are using chemical weapons against protesters

Today’s Take Action post is brought to you by Juniper Simonis.

In cities across the U.S, law enforcement agents have been deploying chemical weapons against racial justice protests. In Portland Oregon, the department of Homeland security is using tear gas and munitions smoke against protesters, medics, press, legal observers, and bystanders.  

Researchers have gathered a library of chemicals used by city, county, state, and federal law enforcement against racial justice protesters in Portland, Oregon. To date, there has been no transparency about the use of chemicals against civilians or accountability for such actions. This is not an isolated U.S. occurrence - similar tactics were recently used against protesters in Hong Kong, France, Russia, Chile, and many other countries, actions U.S. politicians routinely decry.

What can we do to halt the use of chemical weapons against protesters in the U.S.?

• Raise awareness - if people don’t know this is happening in the U.S. and abroad, it will continue without accountability

• Sign this letter calling for the U.S. government to halt the use of chemicals against its citizens. 

  • Call or email your senators and representatives and let them know you care about this issue. Every call counts and a critical mass of calls and pressure can lead to meaningful change, especially with Democratic majorities in Congress.

  • Continue to push our legislators and the new Biden administration to issue regulations and guidance for the Department of Homeland Security’s and other federal, state and local agencies’ use of chemicals.

Additional information on this issue:

https://www.kptv.com/news/portland-ice-facility-site-of-another-violent-clash/article_d5381038-5c6a-11eb-97e8-6bf8fa55f151.html

https://www.koin.com/news/protests/portland-protests-risk-backfiring-from-destruction/ 

What Tear Gas Does To Fish https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/what-tear-gas-does-to-fish/ 

Federal Agents Used Toxic Chemical Smoke Grenades in Portland https://theintercept.com/2020/10/10/portland-tear-gas-chemical-grenades-protests/ 

Highly Toxic" Smoke Grenades Deployed at Portland Protests https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/484862-390719-sinister-smoke and https://www.koin.com/news/protests/military-grade-hc-smoke-used-against-portland-protesters/ 

Scientists Identified a Green, Poisonous Gas Used By Federal Agents on Portland Protesters https://futurehuman.medium.com/scientists-identified-a-green-poisonous-gas-used-by-federal-agents-on-portland-protesters-5b56ac20a624 
Feds used toxic smoke grenades during summer protests in Portland https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/01/portland-researcher-finds-federal-agents-used-toxic-smoke-grenades-during-summer-protests.html and https://www.columbian.com/news/2021/jan/19/feds-used-toxic-smoke-grenades-during-summer-protests-in-portland-researcher-finds/.

Photo by Kai Dahms on Unsplash

Take Action: #Teach4BlackLives

Take Action: Offer to teach for your Black colleagues #Teach4BlackLives

As we continue to fight for fundamental human rights and for #BlackLivesMAtter, we must acknowledge that there is no business as usual, especially for our Black leaders, members and colleagues who are processing trauma while carrying the burden of teaching, research, mentorship, broader community service, and responsibilities at home. For white allies, it is challenging to know how to help in a concrete way. 

@KTElliotMicro posted an offer to do something tangible during this especially challenging time:

Tweet by KT Elliot: “If any of my Black colleagues need someone to teach a class, I could be available Thurs/Fri. I’d be most ready to pinch hit for Genetics (I teach an intermediate level course a lot), but I could also teach Intro Bio and Microbiology courses pretty easily too. My DMs are open.”

We love this concrete way to support our Black colleagues. Here is what you can do immediately #Teach4BlackLives:

• Offer to teach a virtual course

• Share your teaching materials and lectures 

• Take the service and mentorship burden off your Black colleagues

• If you work for a funding agency, extend grant submission deadlines 

• Order a meal for your colleague’s family

• Support your Black students

  • First and foremost, acknowledge the trauma and grief in your classes

  • Extend or eliminate deadlines and assignments - your Black students are processing grief and trauma and having to make up missed work just puts them further behind

  • Offer extra office hours and resources to support your Black students in whatever way they need

We recognize that this in itself is not enough, and that these actions will not fix the racism and violence deeply embedded in the system. This is an immediate action for white allies to show up NOW and take some of the burden off grieving and furious Black scientists.