Science Marches On: The Earth Day Rallies of 2017

Rain or shine, in big city and small burg alike, Saturday was a day for celebrating the process of discovery we call science. Tens of thousands of people gathered at more than 600 locations around the globe, including Antarctica and Greenland, on Saturday, April 22—Earth Day 2017—for the first-ever March for Science.

The march emerged from long-simmering concerns about scientific research being ignored or downplayed when it comes to policy. It was catalyzed by major cuts to federal science agencies now being proposed by the U.S. executive branch. Yet by all accounts, the march itself was a remarkably peaceful and upbeat affair. There were pointed critiques of President Trump, to be sure, in both signage and speeches. But many of the attendees carried signs that skipped partisan politics in favor of math humor, puns good and bad, and declarations of the meaning and importance of science, running the gamut from earnest to cheeky.

Figure 1. People hold signs of pioneering women in science in front of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the March for Science in Washington, Saturday, April 22, 2017. Image credit: AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz.

Steady rain and temperatures around 55°F failed to put a total damper on the flagship March for Science in Washington. Thousands of people gathered beneath umbrellas and ponchos. The crowd was especially fired up by renowned science popularizer Bill Nye. “Our lives are in every way improved by having clean water, reliable electricity, and access to electronic global information. Each is a product of scientific discoveries, diligent research, and thoughtful engineering,” Nye said. “These vital services are connected to policy issues which can only be addressed competently by understanding the natural laws in play.”

Figure 2. Bob's favorite sign from the Denver March for Science.

I attended the March for Science in Denver, where a clammy, rainy 36°F gave way to partial sunshine and somewhat milder temps by the time the 10 AM march began. Chants and songs are a traditional part of mass protests, but I was struck by how this March for Science had little in the way of passionate chants. Instead, with its avalanche of absurdly creative, colorful signs, it was much more of a visual than an auditory experience. The mood was undeniably festive, with Earth Day booths, hands-on science activities, speakers before and after the march, and a crowd that I’d estimate between 5000 and 10,000.

I was also tickled to see that the city where I grew up, Oklahoma City, had a healthy turnout (estimated at more than 2000) for its own March for Science, as chronicled by The New York Times in photos and text. "Many at the Oklahoma City march seemed motivated by local issues," reported Ben Fenwick. Indeed: just this month, all state funding was cancelled for the Oklahoma State Science and Engineering Fair—an event that allowed me to present my first meteorological study while in high school.

The view from San Francisco

Category 6's Jeff Masters filed this report while on a California visit:

“Saturday's March for Science in San Francisco brought together over ten thousand people to a crowded downtown park in perfect 65°F weather. The diverse creativity and frustration expressed in the thousands of signs was remarkable, and it was truly gratifying to see so many people--especially large numbers of children--proudly thrust their signs aloft during the hour and half of speeches and chants that preceded the march through the streets of San Francisco. My favorite sign: ‘Keep Antarctica Cold!’

“Before the march, eight speakers over a period of an hour and half expounded on the importance of science. This part of the event demonstrated to me the reason why science is in such trouble these days--scientists tend not to be great communicators. Some of the speeches were like boring PowerPoint lectures, but without the slides, and did little to engage the crowd. Scientists need to learn how to become storytellers, and to use emotion to help sway their audience. The best speaker was not a scientist, but a producer from ‘The Daily Show with Trevor Noah’. He engaged the audience with jokes, stories, and exhortations to make change happen, and was fun to listen to.

“The mile-and-a-half march after the rally down to the San Francisco Civic Center was great, though. I was introduced to the ‘linear wave-cheer’, where the people at the front of the march would whoop up a loud cheer, which would then propagate to the rear of the march. The crowd was festive, with everyone taking photos of each others' signs, and talking about our common interest in the importance of science.”

Check out the short panoramic video uploaded by Jeff.

What's next?

Organizers of the March for Science are intent on keeping the momentum going, with a week of action taking place from April 22 to 29. The next big event in a packed year for public protests is the long-planned People’s Climate March, which will happen in Washington, D.C., and many other locations on Saturday, April 29. I’ll be at the D.C. march and will file a post on it next week.

Until then, we’ll be watching for the potential of severe weather throughout this week, including the possibility of a widespread, multiday outbreak of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms toward this weekend from the Southern Plains eastward.

You'll find more Earth Day and March for Science photos from WU at our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram feeds.

Figure 3. Our own Jeff Masters with a matrix-oriented sign (no linear algebra needed to read it, though).

Figure 4. What March for Science would be complete without a "Star Trek" reference? Image credit: Jeff Masters.

Figure 5. I got some unexpectedly lively reactions when I tweeted this photo I'd taken at the Denver March for Science at @bhensonweather. My favorite reply came from @pasherri: "I feel you, fellow introvert. Shell destroyed. Nowhere to hide." Another classic: "Introverts Unite: We're here, we're uncomfortable, and we want to go home."

Figure 6. The sign I helped carry (created by Matt Kelsch) at the Denver March for Science.