(Photo: Hilary Swift/The New York Times)
Feeling increasingly threatened by President Trump’s new policies, scientists around the world gathered in cities, including Denver, for the March for Science. Their goal was to encourage voters and politicians to make decisions based on empirically supported evidence. Their chants included “Save the E.P.A.”, “Who runs the world? Nerds.”, and “If you like beer, thank yeast and scientists!”.
The organizers of the march were motivated by Trump who has voiced doubt in the safety of vaccinations and has undone Obama’s efforts to protect the environment. Protesters were taken aback when Trump’s administration proposed a budget which would cut 18 percent of the National Institute of Health’s funding and 31 percent of the Environmental Protection Agency’s. Trump claims he has made the destructive environmental policies in order to preserve jobs, but it is important to note that his cuts to the E.P.A. will result in unemployment for a quarter of the company.
Harvard professor of the history of science, Naomi Oreskes said, “I can’t think of a time where scientists felt the enterprise of science was being threatened in the way scientists feel now.”
Another protester and chemist Christine Negra explained, “In the U.S., we’re lagging in our recognition about how important climate change is. These public events are meant to shake people out of their daily lives so that people see how urgent the problem really is."
Alanna Shingler Staff Reporter