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AFP
WASHINGTON
THOUSANDS of people joined a global March for Science on Saturday with Washington the epicenter of a movement to fight back against what many see as an"assault on facts"by populist politicians.
Hundreds streamed onto the Washington Mall for a festive day of music, speeches and teach-ins by scientists disturbed by the rise of so-called"alternative facts"around crucial issues like climate change following the election of Donald Trump.
"We have no Planet B,"read one of the signs carried by demonstrators, many of whom sported"Keep Our Science Great"caps as they arrived from around the country on Earth Day to remind fellow citizens of the importance of science to their daily lives.
At a time when the Earth has marked three consecutive years of record-breaking heat, and ice is melting at an unprecedented rate at the poles, risking massive sea level rise in the decades ahead, some marchers say it is more important than ever for scientists to communicate and work toward solutions to curb fossil fuel emissions.
"Everything we touch, science has helped us understand better,"said Ruth Varner, a biochemist from the University of New Hampshire.
"We're all busy every day, so if you're not surrounded by scientists talking about this you might forget how important it is to you."
Rainy weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd, as people chatted, introduced themselves to strangers, or hailed colleagues they came across in the throng.
Their movement was echoed in hundreds of satellite events across the United States and around the world, from Sydney to Accra.
Organizers stress their protest is non-partisan, but concerns about the challenges to the role of science in society have spiked under Trump's presidency.
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23/04/2017
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