NZers to join science protests against Trump

Hundreds will march in solidarity with scientists today as part of a global movement against US President Donald Trump’s stance on science.

The March for Science coincides with Earth Day and is organised by a group of scientists supported by the New Zealand Association of Science.

Association president Craig Stevens said the march was prompted by anti-science initiatives from the Trump administration, including putting a person in charge of the US Environmental Protect Agency who denies humans were causing climate change.

He said there were huge challenges to the legitimacy of climate science.

“That’s one thing to ignore or deliberately denigrate scientific conclusions but also putting that into action by cutting funding to a number of agencies that are highly connected with ongoing research relating to climate.”

Scientists were in shock, he said.

“Keep in mind that science is pretty international so we hear about the perspectives of overseas colleagues pretty quickly. I know there are already impacts on colleagues overseas both in terms of planning and certainty around jobs.

“It’s one thing to impact on someone’s livelihood but the ongoing downstream effects of stopping doing particular kinds of climate research will be impacts for decades to come.”

Dr Stevens said it was important to recognise that the March for Science was not necessarily just by and for scientists.

“It’s very much around improving the profile of science for all of us so we can value it better and perhaps get it better understood in our political and policy processes and lift the profile of science nationally and internationally.”

The marches will take place in Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin and will be the first in the world.