In the name of climate protection, Gianluca Grimalda repeatedly refused to return to Europe by plane. The Italian scientist and environmental activist was on a mission to Papua New Guinea. He denounces the dismissal by his German employer after he refused to take the plane. Gianluca Grimalda, a researcher at the Institute for the World Economy (IfW) based in Kiel (northern Germany), received a letter in mid-October, consulted by AFP this Friday, informing him that her “employment relationship has ended”.
No reason is given in this letter. A few days earlier, the scientist and social psychologist had received an ultimatum from his employer asking him to “fly home” under threat of dismissal, which he refused. “With just one plane trip I would have released as much CO2 as an average person does in a year. For me it’s absolutely unthinkable,” he explains by telephone from Bougainville Island.
16,000 kilometers are covered by train, bus and ship
Gianluca Grimalda, 51 years old and an Italian citizen, has just spent six months studying the social impacts of climate change in Papua New Guinea, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. As an environmental activist and member of the Scientist Rebellion collective, he had already decided to only take “the train, the bus and the boat” for two-thirds of the route, i.e. 16,000 km out of a total of 22,000 km, for his outward journey in February from Germany.
The researcher wanted to do the same for his return and, in consultation with his employer, plan an arrival in Kiel for September 10th. But his work was delayed. In particular, the researcher says that he was the victim of a hostage crisis instigated by former independence fighters, while a volcanic eruption led to the cancellation of a trip.
An employee suffering from “climate anxiety.”
The IfW Kiel Institute then asked him to return by October 2nd, according to a letter also consulted by AFP, a deadline that has now expired. The scientist claims to suffer from “climate anxiety,” which he says was confirmed by a local doctor. “If I fly, I could have a panic attack,” he says.
“What is happening now with the climate is scary and is happening very quickly,” adds Gianluca Grimalda. He explains that he wants to challenge this dismissal in court after his return to Germany, citing these psychological reasons. For its part, the institute contacted by AFP said it would “not comment publicly on internal personnel matters” in order to “protect the privacy of employees.”