Scientists produce anti-autocracy handbook to protect their work and defend democracy
A group of global researchers has created a new guide to help scientists — and anyone who defends facts — push back against rising authoritarian threats in the U.S. and abroad.
Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- The new anti-autocracy handbook gives scientists tools to protect themselves and their work, including how to secure data, resist disinformation, protect scientific integrity, and organize for institutional resilience.
- Lead author Stephan Lewandowsky and other experts warn that authoritarian regimes — including recent U.S. administrations — target scientists, journalists, and judges to erase accountability and dismantle democracy.
- The handbook includes an interactive Wiki with practical strategies and a breakdown of how to recognize authoritarian behavior, from political violence to suppression of civil liberties.
Key quote:
“This isn’t a joke or a blip and this isn’t normal. This is a concerted, programmatic effort to abolish democracy in the United States.”
— Stephan Lewandowsky, cognitive psychologist, University of Bristol
Why this matters:
Without a functioning democracy, science can't do its job, whether it’s guiding public health or fighting the climate crisis. Stephan Lewandowsky and his co-authors are calling out this threat not just to science, but to the very systems that let science work. Their handbook, backed by an interactive Wiki, gives practical tools for protecting research, securing data, and staying organized when things go off the rails.
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