Scientists rally on National Mall for Earth Day, March for Science

In Washington, the March for Science rally also included a slew of teach-ins organized by the Earth Day Network and geared at preparing participants for future political activism actions.

Tens of thousands of scientists and their supporters took to the streets in Washington, D.C. and around the world on Saturday to protest against what organizers described as an “alarming” anti-science trend.

A demonstration led by scientists and researchers called out what they said was skepticism from the Trump Administration on climate change and their proposed federal cuts to research.

Jennifer Fitch, a volunteer at March for Science, said the Earth is running out of resources and we need people to investigate ways to care to better care for our planet. Fellow Republican President George W Bush highlighted the need to address climate change in his statement and Barack Obama mentioned the term five times in his 2016 earth day statement.

Organizers of the officially titled March for Science were careful to bill the event as nonpartisan, but many marchers clearly had President Donald Trump and his administration’s priorities in mind.

The effort drew comparisons to the Women’s March, the worldwide day of protest that took place the day after Trump’s inauguration.

Despite proposed more than $1.5 billion in cuts to the Department of Interior, Trump donated his salary from his first quarter in the Oval Office to the National Park Service.

Maria Pohle said she joined the march to show support “for the science which is not only threatened in America, but also in Europe and everywhere in the world”.

Courtney Herscberger, a graduate student molecular biology major, said she hopes people will understand where their medicine comes from so that they will start to support science. “If you’re interested in seeing what it’s like, go out and see the world”, Warren said. The current [political] situation took us from kind of ignoring science to blatantly attacking it.

Behrooz Bajestani, left, and Austin Willoughby hold signs calling for environmental policies to protect against climate change. “I have to do everything I can to oppose the policies of this administration”, said his grandmother, Susan Sharp”. He still hasn’t picked a top White House science adviser, which is fueling a growing concern that his administration turns a deaf ear to experts when the must-act issue of climate change is raised. “If anything it’s even more important that the scientific aspect we brought into the political arena because it affects so many people at once”.

There are cancer survivors and doctors with signs that say “science saves lives”, she said, and estimated that 90 percent of the signs are not political.