Bill Nye Joins March for Science Amid Threat of Trump Budget Cuts
Bill Nye was among thousands of marchers in Washington on Saturday who chided lawmakers who ignore scientific research in areas like climate change and railed against the Trump administration’s proposed cuts.
“Today we have a great many lawmakers, not just here, but around the world, deliberately ignoring and actively surpassing science,” “The Science Guy” Nye told the crowd at the National Mall, in view of the White House. “There inclination is misguided, and in no one’s best interest.”
Nye, the CEO of the Planetary Society, said that the march was to “remind people everywhere” of the significance of science “for health and prosperity.”
“The framers of the Constitution of the United States, which has become a model for constitutional governments everywhere, included Article One, Section 8, which refers to promoting the progress of science and useful arts.”
Marches also took place in hundreds of other cities around the world, according to organizers.
Although the demonstrations were billed as apolitical, demonstrators waved signs that included digs at “alternative facts.” That was a phrase that one of Trump’s advisers, Kellyanne Conway, used in an interview where she defended the truthfulness of the president’s claims.
The events also took place on Earth Day, and although Trump sent out tweets and a statement vowing to “stand committed to preserving the natural beauty of our nation,” he has rolled back parts of his predecessor’s agenda to address climate change.
His administration also has called for deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as to government funding to scientific research.
Nye was even more pointed in an interview with The Guardian. He said that the Trump administration are “hiring the least qualified people on the planet to run the agencies.”
“Objective truths have become set aside and diminished and lawmakers are acting like a strong belief in something is as valid as careful peer review,” he said.
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