Older and Republican-leaning Americans think the April “March for Science” in Washington was a waste of time, according to a poll of 1012 adults by the Pew Research Center in Washington DC. Sixty per cent of Republicans and 54 per cent of those aged 65 and up dismissed the march as pointless, whereas a majority of both Democrats and younger adults thought it would increase public support for science.
I haven’t seen statistics on the subsequent Climate March, in which my wife and I participated, but it’s a safe bet that the same older and Republican-leaning Americans thought that was a waste of time as well. So thorough hss been the climate skeptical propaganda, in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, that Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord will be shrugged off by all too many ill-informed people who voted for the man, denying that they were contributing to planetary disaster for their grandchildren. Any more words fail me.
I don’t know how effective the March for Science will be long term, but it certainly wasn’t a waste of time. Naturally I wouldn’t want science politicised. But I still think the march was an important part of protesting against the general wave of anti intellectualism, disdain for the experts and widespread wilful ignorance that is sweeping America. Trump is a symptom, but he is not the root of the problem.
As for climate change, I think it’s yet another issue that demonstrates why the Republican Party should be abolished and replaced with a genuinely conservative party. One that seeks to preserve the environment instead of being so blaise about its continuing destruction. One that invests in the tchnologies of the future, instead of subsidising the past. If Margaret Thatcher could shut down the coal mines, than so can America’s conservatives. There are hardly any Republicans who think climate change is a priority, even if some accept the science. The party should be kept well away from power until their indifference towards the health of the natural world changes.