Sierra Club Marches for Science and the Environment

Today the Sierra Club is joining hundreds of others to March for Science in Trenton. Participating groups will speak out on why we are holding the march and what it means for the people of New Jersey. Dozens of groups, scientists, elected officials, and citizens from around the state are participating in this nation-wide event here in the state capitol. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“We are standing united to fight for a better planet. The war on science is part of the war on the environment. We are here to say to Donald Trump that we are on to you and we will stop you! Since last year, the administration has gotten even more bold and reckless when it comes to gagging scientist, not letting scientific studies out, and playing games with standards. This is all part of them giving themselves cover for rolling back environmental protections. No testing, no information, no protection. That’s their mantra. This is their polluter agenda, whether its drilling off our coasts or allowing dangerous pesticides to stay on the market, weakening standards for cleaning up toxic site or allowing for more air and water pollution.

“Trump is rolling back and getting rid of programs to protect us from climate change and sea level rise including the Clean Power Plan. We’re here this year to say ENOUGH. We will fight to protect our air and water and fight climate change. We’re going to fight fake news and fake science. Science in Latin means knowledge and truth. We’re not going to let those liars in the Trump Administration destroy our environment and ruin our planet. We’re here to say Science YES, Trump NO.

“We’re marching because it’s more important than ever to stand up for the environment and stand up for science. We need to stand up to that fossil fool in the white house on climate change. He is selling out our coast, our public lands to the oil and gas industry, withdrawing from the Parris Accord. With the Trump Administration attacking science, we need to fight back by marching for science and protecting our future! Not only is Trump cutting the EPA budget and gagging scientists, but he’s siding with corporate polluters and Big Oil and Gas. Trump is removing important protections to fight climate change including the Clean Power Plan and removing us from the Paris Accord. When you deny climate change, you deny that future. When you attack science and you deny us green jobs. When you cut scientific programs, our air and water become polluted and we don’t have advances in clean energy.

“By denying science, we’re denying our future. By denying climate change, we’re putting our future at risk. We are here to stand up for science and move our country, and our planet, forward. Climate change is real, is happening every day, and people are being impacted. By denying it, Trump is siding with polluters over public health. He is using science fantasy to further his own goals while the people are left with the consequences. We knew about the important of climate change since the first Earth Day. You don’t need to be an Einstein to believe in science or the important of it. Together we are standing up for science and standing up for protecting our environment our public health and safety.

“The war on science is part of the war on the environment. This is coming from corporate polluters, Big Oil and Gas and coal companies. They want to keep the public in the dark about the impacts they have on our environment and public health. President Trump has cut the EPA in half. He the ones left not to use the term ‘climate change’ because he doesn’t want to do anything about it. He doesn’t care if homes are flooded, communities are destroyed, and people put in peril. They want to deny science so the public doesn’t have a way to challenge these important rollbacks. By cutting the EPA budget and rolling back protections, Trump lives in a fantasy world. This will have terrible consequences because when you cut enforcement, chemical plants will blow up. When you cut lead funding, children will be poisoned. When you roll back protections for clean air our air will be polluted. When you don’t clean up Superfund sites, communities will be poisoned. The reason why Trump doesn’t want to clean up agent orange in the Passaic River because agent orange is a Russian code name. When you eliminate climate change protections, homes and people will be flooded. This is not a reality show, this is real.

“Not only are there people denying climate change, they also deny evolution and probably gravity too. They want to move us backwards into the Dark Ages while persecuting scientists, educators and those who want to learn. For those who prosecuted John Scopes for teaching evolution and gagged EPA scientists for saying the word climate change, this is part of the long-term attack on science. These deniers clearly haven’t evolved.  Today we are marching for going forward. We’re marching for Galileo, Copernicus, and Isaac Newton. We’re marching for Albert Einstein, Rachel Carson, Jonas Salk and Madame Curie and all those who have used science to move us forward. It’s not just about marching and organizing, its about voting and getting rid of those politicians who are trying to destroy our environment. We are here to stand up to the Twitter in Chief in the White House and tell him we don’t want any more pipelines or offshore drilling! We’re marching for science, marching for the environment, and marching for our future!”

The March for Science is being held from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on April 14th, beginning at the Trenton War Memorial.