{"id":91209,"date":"2017-04-24T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=91209"},"modified":"2017-04-23T18:13:08","modified_gmt":"2017-04-23T17:13:08","slug":"march-for-science-puts-earth-day-focus-on-global-opposition-to-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2017\/04\/march-for-science-puts-earth-day-focus-on-global-opposition-to-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"March for Science Puts Earth Day Focus on Global Opposition to Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>More than 600 marches held around the world, with organizers saying science \u2018under attack\u2019 from a White House that dismisses the threat of climate change.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2017\/apr\/22\/march-for-science-when-attacked-only-elite-benefit\" >Why March for Science? Because when it is attacked, only elites benefit<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91210\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91210\" class=\"wp-image-91210\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-91210\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Union for Concerned Scientists pose with Muppet character Beaker, in front of the White House. Photograph: Jessica Kourkounis\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>22 Apr 2017 &#8211; <\/em>Hundreds of thousands of climate researchers, oceanographers, bird watchers and other supporters of science rallied in marches around the world on Saturday, in an attempt to bolster scientists\u2019 increasingly precarious status with politicians.<\/p>\n<p>The main <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marchforscience.com\/\" >March for Science<\/a> event was held in Washington DC, where organizers made plans for up to 150,000 people to flock to the national mall, although somewhat fewer than that figure braved the rain to attend. Marchers held a range of signs. Some attacked Donald Trump, depicting the president as an ostrich with his head in the sand or bearing the words: \u201cWhat do Trump and atoms have in common? They make up everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More than 600 marches took place around the world, on every continent bar Antarctica, in events that coincided with Earth Day.<\/p>\n<p>The marches, the first of their kind, were officially non-political. They were however conceived by three US-based researchers \u2013 Caroline Weinberg, Valorie Aquino and Jonathan Berman \u2013 after Trump\u2019s inauguration. Organizers have said science is \u201cunder attack\u201d from the Trump administration and many protesters excoriated the president with signs that likened him to a dangerous orange toxin or disparaged his now defunct university .<\/p>\n<p>Trump released a statement that insisted his administration was committed to preserving the \u201cawe-inspiring beauty\u201d of America, while protecting jobs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91211\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march2.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91211\" class=\"wp-image-91211\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march2.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-91211\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters in Washington DC brave poor weather to get their message across. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo\/EPA<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cRigorous science is critical to my administration\u2019s efforts to achieve the twin goals of economic growth and environmental protection,\u201d Trump said. \u201cMy administration is committed to advancing scientific research that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we do so, we should remember that rigorous science depends not on ideology, but on a spirit of honest inquiry and robust debate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em><strong>\u201cThere\u2019s very low morale among government scientists because science is under assault from this administration.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong> &#8212; Michael Mann<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The US marches were some of the last to take place, following hundreds across the world. A common theme among protesters was a worry that politicians have rejected science-based policies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m encouraged by the marches I\u2019ve seen already taking place around the world,\u201d said Rush Holt, a former congressman and head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. \u201cFor generations scientists have been reluctant to be in the public square. There is a lot of concern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speakers in Washington included Christiana Figueres, the former United Nations climate chief and climate scientist Michael Mann. Hundreds of scientific institutions, environmental groups and union groups partnered with the march.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s very low morale among government scientists because science is under assault from this administration,\u201d Mann told the Guardian. \u201cThat being said, events like this will lift the spirits of scientists. They are finding a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91212\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march3.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91212\" class=\"wp-image-91212\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march3.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march3-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-91212\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A marcher in Amsterdam makes reference, in blazing Dutch orange, to one of many controversies involving Trump in last year\u2019s US election. Photograph: Robin Utrecht\/EPA<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Pharmaceutical companies, concerned about the impact on research talent of Trump\u2019s attempts to ban or restrict travel from certain Muslim-majority countries, risked his wrath by supporting the march. In a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Pfizer\/videos\/10155168836517243\" >video<\/a>, Pfizer said it was \u201cproud to stand behind our scientists\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has galvanized scientists with his comments about climate change, which he has called a \u201choax\u201d, as well as questions about whether vaccines are safe and threats to cut funding to universities <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/827112633224544256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&amp;ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnews.com%2Fnews%2Fus-news%2Fcan-trump-block-money-punishment-uc-berkeley-protests-n715901\" >that displease him<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The White House\u2019s recent budget proposal would remove <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy-and-politics\/2017\/3\/16\/14940444\/2018-budget-trump-science-nih\" >around $7bn<\/a> in science funding, with the National Institutes of Health, which funds medical research, bearing much of the pain. Earth sciences, ranging from weather satellites to marine research to coastal preservation, are also lined up for severe cuts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><em>VIDEO: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/video\/2017\/apr\/22\/thousands-rally-around-the-world-for-march-for-science-video\" >Thousands rally around the world for \u2018March for Science\u2019<\/a> <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Climate change was at the heart of the March for Science, spurred on by dismissals of the issue by Trump and his top advisers. Budget director Mick Mulvaney has said climate research is a \u201cwaste of your money\u201d. Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, has <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2017\/mar\/09\/epa-scott-pruitt-carbon-dioxide-global-warming-climate-change\" >erroneously denied<\/a> that carbon dioxide is a primary driver of global warming.<\/p>\n<p>Other areas of science have been all but abandoned. The president has yet to nominate administrators for Nasa and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, nor to appoint his own science adviser.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91213\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march4.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91213\" class=\"wp-image-91213\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march4.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march4-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-91213\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Paris, a marcher repurposes a slogan used by Trump\u2019s defeated opponent, Hillary Clinton.<br \/> Photograph: Francois Guillot\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<p>John Holdren, science adviser during Barack Obama\u2019s presidency, said Trump had \u201cshown no indication of awareness of the role of science and the role of science in government\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScientists are understanding that they have to become activists, that they have to speak up, that they have to be heard,\u201d he said. \u201cThe message isn\u2019t, \u2018Please save our jobs.\u2019 Scientists would be in another line of work if they were just interested in their salaries. If funding for science is slashed, all of society will lose out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The march has proved controversial within the science community, which is typically reluctant to be overtly political. Some scientists have raised concerns that the marches will invite attacks by Trump and his supporters, or will fail to convince the public that science has inherent value.<\/p>\n<p>But several famous voices have joined the cause. \u201cScience has always been political but we don\u2019t want science to be partisan,\u201d Bill Nye, a prominent engineer and TV personality, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/2017\/apr\/22\/bill-nye-the-science-guy-donald-trump-march-washington\" >told the Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91214\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march5.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91214\" class=\"wp-image-91214\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march5.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march5-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march5-768x461.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-91214\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Berlin, a protester makes reference to Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway\u2019s infamous insistence that the White House can offer \u2018alternative facts\u2019 to the truth. Photograph: Sean Gallup\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cObjective truths have become set aside and diminished and lawmakers are acting like a strong belief in something is as valid as careful peer review.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nye said science was in a \u201cdangerous place\u201d but hoped the march would help nudge Trump to a more amenable position.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe president changes his mind quite frequently,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to influence the people who influence him. That\u2019s our goal for the march.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><em>VIDEO: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/video\/2017\/mar\/09\/epa-scott-pruitt-carbon-dioxide-global-warming-video\" >Head of EPA denies carbon dioxide causes global warming<\/a> <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Leland Melvin, a former Nasa astronaut who participated in two missions, criticized the administration\u2019s plans to eliminate Nasa\u2019s education budget.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoing that would keep people like me from getting a masters or PhD,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we want brown people and women getting these degrees and get them involved in science, we have to fund it. The administration needs to get its head out of the sand.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91215\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march6.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91215\" class=\"wp-image-91215\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march6.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march6-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-91215\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester in London opts for a generally pro-science message.<br \/> Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Cristian Samper, president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said the march aimed \u201cto celebrate science, not to politicize it\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScience is behind the good news and bad news about wildlife conservation ,\u201d he said. \u201cit has nothing to do with the fake news. Science is the antithesis of fake news.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The marches came one week before the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/peoplesclimate.org\/\" >People\u2019s Climate March<\/a>, a series of large-scale events focused on climate change that will be more overtly political.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_91216\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march7.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91216\" class=\"wp-image-91216\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march7.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march7-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/earth-day-science-march7-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-91216\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some marchers, such as this one in London, went further, dressing the part as well as carrying messages.<br \/> Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cAttacks on science don\u2019t just hurt scientists, they hurt scientists\u2019 ability to protect the people, and climate change epitomizes that,\u201d said Dr Geoffrey Supran, an expert in renewable energy at Harvard University.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen politicians cater to fossil fuel interests by denying the basic realities of climate science and pursuing anti-science climate policy, they endanger the jobs, justice, and livelihoods of ordinary people everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2017\/apr\/22\/march-for-science-earth-day-climate-change-trump\" >Go to Original \u2013 theguardian.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 600 marches held around the world, with organizers saying science \u2018under attack\u2019 from a White House that dismisses the threat of climate change. \u2022 Why March for Science? Because when it is attacked, only elites benefit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[197],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-special-feature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91209\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}