When Scientists Become Activists

Can you be a scientist and an activist at the same time? Where do you draw the line between being a detached expert and stepping on the front lines of climate change protests? Dr Samuel Finnerty, from Lancaster University’s Department of Psychology, joins us to discuss individual and group climate change activism from social and psychological perspectives. Sam explains how his background in anthropology, cognitive science and psychology brought him to have an interest in activism, and how and why scientists become involved in these activities.  We learn about the shape of modern-day climate change protests, including Insulate Britain, Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil in the UK; what it means to be disruptive in this activism; the importance of media coverage to their cause – and what this coverage looks like; how the public react to acts of civil disobedience; and if they might ever be counterproductive.  We look at how have systems around the world have reacted to disruptive protests; the frustrations scientists feel in wanting to get their messages across; how academics can remain objective if they are also activists; whether the public can still trust researchers if they take these strong public stances; and consider potential comparisons with scientists speaking out on environmental issues and those who used to endorse alcohol or smoking. Paul wonders if Jan would have fitted in with Father Ted’s protest marches, we consider the difficulty of getting academics to agree on anything, and ask if you don’t have a white lab coat, are you still a scientist?  For a summary of Sam’s work, see here: https://theconversation.com/how-climate-scientists-balance-the-tension-between-research-and-public-protest-new-study-274916 and here: https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000828 His co-authored research paper on Just Stop Oil that he mentions is here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44168-026-00347-5 And his research profile is here: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/sci-tech/about-us/people/samuel-finnerty Episode Transcript