March for Science

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Venues for the March for Science in Germany, arranged according to the periodic table of the elements
More than 1000 people at the March for Science in Heidelberg 2017 in front of the "New University".
Over 1000 active participants at the March for Science in Heidelberg , here at the final rally on Universitätsplatz in front of the New University

The March for Science (“March for Science”) or Science March is a large international demonstration for the value of research and science and against “ alternative facts ” and the establishment of a “ post-factual era ”. Under the motto Science, not Silence, it took place for the first time on April 22, 2017 ( Earth Day ) in more than 600 cities worldwide, with the main event in Washington, DC aiming at increasing To point out restrictions on science worldwide, for example in the USA , Turkey or Hungary , and to draw attention to the importance of science for society. A second March for Science, also organized worldwide, was held on April 14, 2018.

The movement was triggered by anti- science statements and measures by the Donald Trump administration . Trump had described global warming as a hoax, promised to abolish a large number of environmental protection measures, and announced severe cuts for research institutions such as the US health authority and the EPA . In Germany, the motives of the march participants were directed less against the US government than against populism and “post-factual thinking” in general and, in particular, for more scientific evidence in debates and political decisions.

history

The idea for the March for Science came about in response to a message on Reddit in late January 2017 that the White House under Donald Trump had deleted all information on climate change from its website. This led to a discussion in which one user commented: “There needs to be a Scientists' March on Washington.” (German for example: “There should be a demonstration by scientists in Washington”). A website, a Facebook page and a Twitter profile were created within a few hours, and initiatives in other cities in the USA and around the world emerged within a few days.

Participating cities

The march took place in more than 600 cities around the world: At the "Mother March" in Washington, DC , around 40,000 people gathered at the beginning of the march, in Chicago, for example, around 40,000 people and in Los Angeles around 12,000. More than 10,000 people demonstrated in Australia , 3,000 of them in Sydney , around 12,000 in London , and around 5,000 participants in Paris . In Vienna ( Austria ) between 1,600 and 3,000 people took to the streets.

In Germany the march took place in 22 cities: Berlin , Bonn / Cologne , Dresden , Espelkamp , Frankfurt am Main , Freiburg im Breisgau , Göttingen , Greifswald , Hamburg , Heidelberg , Jena , Kassel , Koblenz , Kiel , Leipzig , Munich , Münster , Rostock , Stuttgart , Trier and Tübingen , including around 70 participants on the island of Helgoland . A total of 37,000 people took to the streets. Around 11,000 people took part in the largest demonstration in Berlin, while around 5,000 people took to the streets in Munich. According to the police, around 2,500 people took part in Freiburg, 1,800 in Heidelberg, 2,000 in Hamburg, more than 2,500 in Frankfurt am Main and around 1,500 in Bonn.

supporter

The March for Science is supported internationally by numerous scientific organizations and well-known individuals. This includes in Germany, among others, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation , the German Association of University Professors , the German Academic Exchange Service , the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft , the German Rectors' Conference , the Scientific Advisory Council on Global Change , numerous universities, Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel , as well as some Nobel Prize winners (under others Gerhard Ertl , Wolfgang Ketterle , Klaus von Klitzing , Erwin Neher , Horst Ludwig Störmer ). The Society for the Scientific Investigation of Parasciences also supported the March for Science.

reception

Germany

In the run-up to the march at the end of February, Peter Strohschneider , President of the German Research Foundation (DFG), spoke in support of an “attack on the modernity of society”, which was based on American research policy under President Trump. Reinhard Hüttl , Scientific Director of the Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam and Vice President of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers wrote in a guest comment for the Tagesspiegel at the beginning of March: “At the same time, however, research itself must make it clear that it is it that provides scientific options for fact-based decisions . However, it is not up to science or journalism to make these decisions. It is the job of the relevant decision-makers. The informed discourse is of central importance for this. It is important that we stand up for our methods and our convictions. "

One of the main organizers, Tanja Gabriele Baudson , was named "University Teacher of the Year" by the German University Association for her performance.

United States

Individual scientists had criticized the March for Science in advance . It would help trivialize and politicize science, and tends to reinforce the skeptics' narrative that scientists are a political interest group. It is better to speak directly to people who do not know any scientists and do not understand the extent to which global warming is already affecting their lives. In addition, the Science March distracts from the essential problems that science has to do with. For example, from the question of whether science leads to more social inequality, because only the wealthy can pay for it, or from the problem of the lack of reproducibility of many results.

The Washington White House did not respond to a call for comment, but US President Trump issued a statement on his approach to environmental issues: “My administration is reducing unnecessary burdens on American workers and American companies, while we are aware that our actions are too must protect the environment ”,“ Meticulous science is critical to my government's efforts to achieve the two goals of economic growth and environmental protection ”. His entourage had to pass several demonstrators on the way to the Walter Reed Military Hospital outside Washington.

See also

Web links

March for Science in Frankfurt am Main
(April 2018)
Commons : March for Science  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Science March: US scientists unite against Trump. On: Deutsche Welle , February 3, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  2. ↑ March for Science "Without science everything is just fiction" . In: Spiegel Online , April 22, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  3. ↑ marchforscience.de . Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  4. ↑ The March for Science 2018 is underway . In: Science , April 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  5. ↑ a b c Sara Reardon, Nicky Phillips, Alison Abbott, Barbara Casassus, Ewen Callaway, Alexandra Witze, Corie Lok: What's happening at March for Science events around the world . In: Nature . April 21, 2017, doi : 10.1038 / nature.2017.21853 .
  6. ↑ Science March Germany: Who is marching there - and for what? . In: Wissenschaftskommunikation.de , April 24, 2017. Accessed October 19, 2017.
  7. ^ What Exactly Are People Marching for When They March for Science? . On: The Atlantic , March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  8. ↑ Why we're marching for science in Australia. In: The Conversation , March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  9. ↑ a b c “March for Science” in Frankfurt - 2500 for research and facts on the street . In: Frankfurter Neue Presse , April 22, 2017. Accessed April 22, 2017.
  10. ↑ Live updates from the global March for Science . In: Science . April 22, 2017, doi : 10.1126 / science.aal1092 .
  11. ^ March for Science Chicago draws 40,000 people to 'defend the basic facts of science' . In: Chicago Tribune , April 22, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  12. ^ A b March for Science Draws Big Crowds, Clever Signs Across US nytimes.com ( Reuters ), April 23, 2017
  13. ^ "March for Science" in Vienna: Science on the street . In: Kurier , April 22, 2017; Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  14. ↑ badische-zeitung.de , Politik und Nachrichten , March 10, 2017, leading article by Wulf Rüskamp: The " post-factual " and science: Silence at universities (April 23, 2017)
  15. ↑ List of cities on marchforscience.de; Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  16. ↑ March for Science in Berlin 11,000 people demonstrate against “alternative facts” . In: Berliner Zeitung , April 22, 2017
  17. ^ Thousands Take Part in March for Science in Berlin . nytimes.com ( Reuters ), April 22, 2017
  18. ↑ Simone Lutz, jcd: March for Science: 2500 Freiburg residents demonstrate against “alternative facts” . badische-zeitung.de , April 22, 2017.
  19. ↑ Because there is no alternative to facts . In: Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung , April 24, 2017
  20. ↑ Around 2000 participants at the “March for Science” in Hamburg . In: Hamburger Abendblatt , April 22, 2017
  21. ↑ Get out of the ivory tower onto the street . In: General-Anzeiger , April 22, 2017; Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  22. ↑ Partners . On: marchforscience.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  23. ↑ supporters . On: marchforscience.de. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  24. ↑ Manfred Ronzheimer: Annual meeting of the "skeptics": Doubt keeps you healthy . 5th May 2017.
  25. ↑ March for Science Dr. Stephanie Dreyfürst and the skeptics investigate PSI phenomena .
  26. ↑ Ulli Kulke: “Terrifying instructions from the new president” . Welt Online , February 21, 2017
  27. ↑ Research needs ways out of the crisis of confidence . tagesspiegel.de , March 8, 2017; Guest comment
  28. ↑ Professor Dr. Tanja Gabriele Baudson is "University Lecturer of the Year" . hochschulverband.de; accessed on January 2, 2018.
  29. ^ Robert S. Young: A Scientists' March on Washington Is a Bad Idea . The New York Times , January 31, 2017; Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  30. ^ Scientists' march on Washington is a bad idea - here's why. In: The Conversation , March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.