Earth Day: Nearly 400 ‘March for Science’ Protests Scheduled Against Trump’s Climate Policies

On April 22, nearly 400 marches in 37 countries will protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s environmental policies, which deny the existence of climate change. 

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Organizers of the global march, who include scientists and environmental activists from around the world, plan to hold the largest action in Washington, D.C. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, is slated to be a major target.

Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and notable environmental experts Mona Hanna-Attisha and Lydia Villa-Komaroff will headline the march. Hanna-Attisha is the doctor who helped expose lead poisoning in Flint and Villa-Komaroff is a molecular biologist who helped create techniques for insulin production. 

“People who value science have remained silent for far too long in the face of policies that ignore scientific evidence and endanger both human life and the future of our world,” march organizers wrote in a statement. 

“The March for Science champions and defends science and scientific integrity, but it is a small step in the process toward encouraging the application of science in policy.  We understand that the most effective way to protect science is to encourage the public to value and invest in it.”

The march signals a major political shift for scientists, who are often encouraged by their employers to refrain from publicly commenting on or participating in politics. But as Trump continues to implement policies that hurt the environment, political atheists are quickly becoming political activists. 

Since taking office in January, Trump has significantly downsized the EPA, cutting the department’s budget by almost 30 percent. He also appointed Scott Pruitt, a known climate change denier and supporter of the billion-dollar coal industry, which is responsible for much of today’s environmental damage. 

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While the attorney general of Oklahoma, Pruitt sued the Obama-era EPA 14 times as his office maintained close relations with oil and gas companies, according to thousands of leaked emails. The e-mails were released last month by the Wisconsin-based watchdog group Center for Media and Democracy.

“Science is what makes our world what it is,” Nye said, the Washington Post reports.

“To have a movement or a tendency to set science aside is in no one’s best interest ... but nevertheless, that's what's happening in the U.S.”

The March for Science defines itself as a “non-violent movement” that values “inclusion, diversity, equity and access.”