‘Human-caused radiative forcing of 2.72 [1.96

to 3.48] W m2 in 2019 relative to 1750 has

warmed the climate system.’ Edina speaks

the sentence hesitantly into the microphone,

reading from an enormous binder in front

of her. How is this supposed to be read

aloud? The campus square is mostly empty,

except for the small group of people who

stand around her to listen. Some of them

are dressed in the same white lab coat with

colourful prints that she also wears. 

A woman approaches the group and listens

for a while. Then she looks around, and asks

one of the people with a lab coat, ‘What is

happening here?’ Niels answers, ‘We are

scientists, and this is a marathon reading of

the IPCC report. Do you know what the IPCC

report is?’ The woman doesn’t respond. ‘It

is the report of the Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change. We read it, because our

university collaborates with Shell, one of the

largest climate polluters. This is absolutely

in conf lict with all that science tells us.’ 

The woman responds, ‘And you think that

people understand what you are doing here?’

Niels hesitates, then he replies, ‘Maybe we

don’t know how to do a snappy marketing

campaign. But if we scientists sta nd up for

what is the truth, people will understand

that the VU must not participate in Shell’s

greenwashing.’ 

‘I see,’ says the woman. She stays a bit

longer, then she leaves. Sometime later

Edina has f inished her shift, and someone

else takes her place to read the clunky

lines from the report. Edina listens for a

bit, then she turns to look at the square and

the f lagpole. ‘Where did that ”Transition

together” f lag go?’ 

Mirjam tosses the newspaper to the other

side of the desk, where Yuri sits. He doesn’t

have to look at the headline to know what it

is about, ‘Shell will cut 200 jobs in the clean

energy division.’ 

Yuri’s face is unmoved. ‘We did not get the

government grant for hydrogen research.

And we are a business after all.’ 

Mirjam shoots back, ‘Shell makes record

prof its from oil and gas, and you f ire your

clean energy division. You will never do your

share, I can see that now.’ Then she stands

up, and tosses a bundle towards him. ‘You

can leave. And take this with you.’ 

He looks at it, the ‘Transition together’ f lag.

Yuri slowly rises from his chair, and takes a

step to the door. Then he turns around, ‘What

happened to us having each other’s backs?’ 

‘Sorry, no one can do it.’ she responds f irmly.

‘I’ve got the back of my scientists already. We

are the VU, after all.’

Clemens Kaupa

Clemens Kaupa is assistant professor at the

VU Amsterdam He is teaching and studying

climate law

wwwlinkedincominclemenskaupa

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Clemens

Kaupa