australia new zealand kick off global science rallies
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

Australia, New Zealand kick off global science rallies

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicleAustralia, New Zealand kick off global science rallies

Supporters of science and research prepare to hand out leaflets as part of the March for Science protest Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-04-australia-zealand-global-science-rallies.html#jCp
Sydney - Arab Today

Thousands of people joined a global March for Science on Saturday with Washington the epicenter of a movement to fight against what many see as an "assault on facts" by populist politicians.

US President Donald Trump himself passed dozens of protesters on his way to visit wounded soldiers at a military hospital.

"Stop denying the earth is dying," one sign visible from Trump's motorcade read.

Despite rain, protesters gathered around the Washington Monument for a festive day of music, speeches and teach-ins by scientists disturbed by the rise of so-called "alternative facts" around crucial issues like climate change following Trump's election.

"We have no Planet B," read one of the signs. Many demonstrators sported "Keep Our Science Great" caps as they arrived from around the country on Earth Day to highlight the importance of science to daily lives.

Protesters marched to the US Capitol to carry their pro-science message.

"Science is political but it is not partisan. Science serves all of us. Together we can—dare I say it—save the world! Let's march!" declared a television personality, Bill Nye the Science Guy, who currently heads the Planetary Society.

The movement was echoed in hundreds of events across the United States and around the world, from Sydney to Accra.

At a time when the Earth has marked three consecutive years of record-breaking heat, and ice is melting at an unprecedented rate at the poles, risking massive sea level rise in the decades ahead, some marchers said it was more important than ever for scientists to communicate and work toward solutions to curb fossil fuel emissions.

"Ditch the jargon," advised Tyler DeWitt, the star of a popular YouTube show on science. "Make it understandable. Make people care. Talk to them, not at them. We cannot complain about slashed funding if we can't tell taxpayers why science matters."

Spiking concerns

Organizers stressed the protest was non-partisan. But concerns about the challenges to the role of science in society have spiked under Trump's presidency.

He has proposed deep cuts in funding for scientific research, elevated opponents of climate pacts and environmental regulations to cabinet-level positions, and drawn support from conservative Christians who challenge the teaching of evolution in US schools.

"If this president has his way, science is in danger but I think there will be a lot of resistance from Congress," said Elisabeth Johnston, a retired biologist.

Trump issued a statement defending his administration's policies as aimed at protecting the environment "without harming America's working families."

"I am committed to keeping our air and water clean but always remember that economic growth enhances environmental protection. Jobs matter!" the Republican president said in a tweet, without acknowledging the massive crowds of marchers.

Satellite events

In London, hundreds of people marched from the Science Museum to the Houses of Parliament, holding signs with messages like "Science is Sexy" and "Less Invasions, More Equations."

The London rally was attended by actor Peter Capaldi, who plays TV's time-travelling hero of science, Dr Who.

In Ghana, organizers used the day for a teach-in at a beachside hotel in Accra about environmental issues of local concern such as the impact of plastic waste on the environment.

"It's killing our fish, we have flooding in our communities, we have a rise of environmental diseases," said Cordie Aziz, an American activist involved in plastics recycling.

Vocal protesters in Sydney wearing white lab coats called on politicians to support the scientific community. "We need thinkers not deniers," read one banner.

'Fake news' fears

Demonstrators turned out across Australia, in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and other cities, as well as Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand.

"In this day and age, there's so much fake news and alternate facts going around that it's important to remember that science is what has built the society we know today," Parissa Zand, who was at the Sydney march with her molecular biologist mother, told AFP.

Protestors in major university cities in Europe posted pictures on Twitter of marches in Bonn, Helsinki, Munich and Stockholm.

In Paris, a banner in French read: "We are the resistance against the orange menace in Washington! Defend science!"

Other rallies were scheduled in Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria and South Korea.

Scientists 'energized'

"Seeing the assault on fact-based thinking, scientists are energized," Paul Hanle, chief executive officer of Climate Central, an independent organization of scientists and journalists, wrote in an op-ed this week.

Scientists "are not famous for their camaraderie," said professor of carbon management at the University of Edinburgh, David Reay. "We are trained to question, criticize and, where needed, contest each other's work.

"That we are now marching together is testament to just how threatened our disparate community feels."

source: AFP

themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

australia new zealand kick off global science rallies australia new zealand kick off global science rallies

 



Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

GMT 06:40 2017 Saturday ,16 December

Walker needs brains not just brawn

GMT 08:15 2017 Thursday ,07 September

US oil giant ExxonMobil plans Cyprus gas exploration

GMT 18:11 2011 Monday ,18 April

Zimbabwe and Zambia in tug of war over Vic Falls

GMT 16:05 2017 Tuesday ,31 October

Qadih calls for involving private sector

GMT 09:20 2017 Wednesday ,15 November

Qualcomm spurns $130 bn Broadcom bid for big tech tie-up

GMT 13:43 2017 Tuesday ,24 October

Stabbed Russian journalist 'in recovery'

GMT 10:26 2017 Friday ,14 April

Sock topples Haas to reach ATP Houston quarters

GMT 14:00 2017 Saturday ,25 November

Sudan condemns terrorist attack in Egypt

GMT 09:40 2017 Monday ,04 December

Stade down Racing, Clermont edge plucky Agen

GMT 08:08 2017 Thursday ,05 October

Injury jinx strikes again as Iordache exits

GMT 11:20 2017 Tuesday ,05 December

Prodigal son: Saleh Saudi overture tips Yemen balance

GMT 09:35 2013 Saturday ,31 August

Afghan suicide attack kills 6, hurts 20 in south

GMT 23:36 2016 Sunday ,11 December

Suicide attack in Istanbul claims 29 lives

GMT 18:29 2013 Sunday ,10 November

Samsung\'s Galaxy Note 3 top 5m

GMT 14:52 2013 Sunday ,24 November

Computer game opponents begin to think, feel alike

GMT 18:55 2012 Wednesday ,02 May

8 Secret guy insecurities

GMT 19:27 2012 Thursday ,10 May

How to win over your boss

GMT 18:27 2012 Sunday ,29 April

Why I\'m better off without a baby

GMT 13:40 2012 Friday ,25 May

Sharnoubi to make documentary on singer Warda

GMT 12:58 2014 Friday ,28 November

Incredibly small apartment in Paris

GMT 00:44 2011 Sunday ,25 December

Modern glass house

GMT 10:51 2011 Tuesday ,05 July

Dior loses its way without creative director
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
 
 Themuslimchronicle Facebook,themuslimchronicle facebook  Themuslimchronicle Twitter,themuslimchronicle twitter Themuslimchronicle Rss,themuslimchronicle rss  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle