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The need for political advocacy in astronomy

Nature Astronomy volume 5, pages 864–865 (2021)Cite this article

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Astronomers are used to advocating for (financial) support for their future endeavours, but how should they go about lobbying for support for issues such as the climate emergency? Join forces with those experienced in effecting policy change.

The astronomy community has begun to grapple with reducing the climate impact of its own internal practices, from understanding the impact of professional conferences, to improving the environmental sustainability of observatories and computing facilities2,3. The recently formed Astronomers for Planet Earth group seeks to provide resources, support education about climate change and corral the community’s efforts to reduce its overall carbon footprint. These internally focused actions are noteworthy for a relatively small scientific field representing a tiny sliver of global carbon output, yet what role can astronomers and the astronomy community play to address the key drivers of climate change and promote solutions? Should astronomers engage with politicians, governments and corporations, particularly in a domain already saturated with a huge range of interest groups and advocacy coalitions? There are two reasons why I think astronomers should engage.

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  1. European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany

    Andrew Williams

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  1. Andrew Williams
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Correspondence to Andrew Williams.

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Williams, A. The need for political advocacy in astronomy. Nat Astron 5, 864–865 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-021-01490-1

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