Imagine living in a world where our air is clean, our water is pure, the soil we walk on is healthy and we didn’t have to worry about toxins or chemicals. That’s the goal for the March for Science and the March for Climate.
On Saturday, April 22, the March for Science took place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. and in states across the country. The marches were a question of whether science should play a role in the political system. They also want to help inform the public about who they are and what they represent.
Approximately 150,000 supporters attended the march in Washington D.C. According to the March for Science’s website. Their mission: “It’s not only about scientists and politicians; it is about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives and the need to respect and encourage research that gives us insight into the world.”
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There will also be a March for Climate, Jobs and Justice Saturday, April 29 in Washington D.C. This is an important time for the climate march as President Donald Trump has hired “climate change denier” and former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as the Environmental Protection Agency’s director.
In 2012, Trump tweeted, “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make the U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” His administration isn’t planning on promoting policies to prevent global warming, which is honestly ridiculous.
It’s quite obvious that President Trump could care less about what happens to our environment. According to The New York Times, he is expected to sign an executive order to expand offshore oil drilling. Trump also planned to slash the EPA’s budget by one-third and plans to cancel the Paris Climate agreement. He has also given the OK for the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline to be completed.
Many people hardly ever pay attention to both science and the climate. There are major discussions about global warming and climate change, but no one ever really devotes their time in trying to figure out how to help the environment. The most major way that we know how to “be green” is by the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Both the March for Science and the March for Climate, Jobs and Justice are what needs to happen. Science is more than just cool experiments. Science can be found in everything from our bodies, to our atmosphere, to what we eat and drink. It’s everywhere and you can’t escape it.
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Locally, climate change is definitely affecting us here in the Southwest. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, “Temperatures have increased by almost 2 [degrees Fahrenheit] in the last century, with the 2001-2010 decade being the warmest since records began 110 years ago. The length of the frost-free season has increased by 19 days in recent decades.” Droughts are common here, but they are becoming more frequent, intense and longer. Periods of drought are common here in Southern Arizona, but they are becoming more frequent, intense and longer.
Along with droughts being more frequent in Tucson, the possibility of wildfires also increases. Recently Tucson has seen two large fires that have burned in large areas, one in Mt. Lemmon and one in Sawmill. Though both were believed to be human caused, they quickly grow out of control in areas affected by drought. Could the cause also be from the excessive heat that Tucson has been experiencing, or does this just show how people have no compassion for the Earth?
That should worry each and every one of us. We need to give these scientists and science enthusiasts who are standing up for our environment the support that they need. They are here to communicate with the community, educate the public and defend their field.
At the rate global warming is happening, soon it will be too late to try and save our environment.
Follow Aurora Begay on Twitter.
