An increasing number of scientists are using TikTok, the popular short-form video app, to educate people about climate change, promote action, and counter misinformation. Glaciologist Peter Neff, who has over 220,000 followers on TikTok, regularly shares videos of himself holding ice samples excavated from Antarctica’s Allan Hills. In one video, he shows a small drop-shaped fragment containing tiny air bubbles, remnants of a 100,000-year-old atmosphere. The greenhouse gases trapped inside carry valuable information about the Earth’s past climate. Neff explains the significance of the ice samples in his videos, helping to raise awareness about climate change.
Neff is one of 17 climate creators and influencers listed in the 2023 Climate Creators to Watch, a collaboration between startup media Pique Action and the Harvard School of Public Health. Other scientists, such as NASA climate scientist Peter Kalmus, have also started using TikTok to reach younger audiences and raise awareness about climate change. Kalmus began posting videos after he was arrested during a civil disobedience action in Los Angeles organized by the Scientist Rebellion group in April 2022.
Kalmus sees his @climatehuman channel as a way to motivate people, especially younger demographics, to become activists in the fight against climate change. His most viral video to date shows him delivering a speech while locked to the gates of the Wilson Air Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, protesting against carbon dioxide emissions from private jets. Through TikTok, he hopes to increase the visibility of his civil disobedience actions and promote his message to a wider audience.
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