Hello, fellow Earthlings, the month of April is more than just the month in which we jokingly fool people on the first day of the month, or when colorful candy filled eggs are hidden and hunted, or celebrating Christ’s resurrection ( though that is an important highlight for many this month – so,Happy Easter). In April we celebrate the very home beneath our feet that we call Earth or Terra, the scientific name of Earth, (quick fact to make you sound smart). So I suppose we can call ourselves Terralings? As a habitant of Terra, I am growing excited for Earth Day (pun intended) on this month on the 22nd. Earth Day is day we should all remember not just this month but everyday. Quite literally, our daily actions impact our beloved environment and our health. If if you have not seen the news lately, global warming is a potential threat along with other pollution concerns that call our attention, people are not getting the aid they need concerning their health, scientific research is being censored, are we being limited to what we have a human entitled right to? Therefore, this Earth Day, I call all earthlings to become aware and help conserve our home. As citizens and Earthlings, we can make a call through government policies that will aid our safety, our health, and our Earth.
An opportunity to join the cause of protecting our Terra, our health rights, and scientists is through a new event taking place this Earth Day. This worldwide event is called the March for Science. The event will take place in The National Mall in Washington, D.C. along with more than 425 satellite marches around the world! This event may perhaps become historical in uniting people of all over the world for awareness of anything involving science. The organization states their cause and their plan as to how the march is occurring.
“Budget cuts, censorship of researchers, disappearing datasets, and threats to dismantle government agencies harm us all, putting our health, food, air, water, climate, and jobs at risk. It is time for people who support science to take a public stand and be counted…We are building a broad, nonpartisan, and diverse coalition of organizations and individuals who stand up for science. We are advocating for evidence-based policymaking, science education, research funding, and inclusive and accessible science. All with your support!”
I couldn’t agree anymore with the organization. President Trump’s recent budget cuts on the Environmental Protection Agency have fueled the organization’s movement. His 2018 proposed budget cuts add to the flame. He calls for “cutting the 2018 budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $6 billion, or nearly 20%, according to sources familiar with the proposal. The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science would lose $900 million, or nearly 20% of its $5 billion budget. The proposal also calls for deep cuts to the research programs at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and a 5% cut to NASA’s earth science budget. And it would eliminate DOE’s roughly $300 million Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.” Science is vital especially in the modern society we find ourselves in.
So why not stand with March for Science and its 170 partners organizations, Earthlings? I know I will because science is part our past, present and future. Without it, there is no progress and as humans, yes humans, as in all of us, we can make changes to protect the name of science on the day of Terra.
