Imagine a world where scientists are silenced, their findings ignored and their voices erased from classrooms.

This dystopian vision inspired the “listen to the science” statue action. The gagged scientist statues —symbolically aligned with the authors of the IPCC report— illustrate how their scientific and critical results have failed to reach public opinion as much as they should have.

One aspect of the political and economic instrumentalization of science is the distortion of its findings for broader audiences. Disinformation campaigns, often funded by fossil lobbying, have long shaped the public discourse around the climate and biodiversity crisis.

With the advent of social media, science communication has gained powerful new tools. Yet disinformation now spreads faster and more easily than ever before, rivaling scientific knowledge in reach and influence. Will gagged Einstein ever become a viral meme?