SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"Today's action is just the beginning of what will be four years of a growing movement standing up to climate deniers doing the industry's dirty work. We demand a separation of oil and state," said David Turnbull of Oil Change International. (Photo: Adam Smith/350 DC)
Vowing to Protect Science, Climate Movement 'Ready for Fight' With Trump
Washington, D.C. action comes amid fears of a 'witch hunt' under incoming climate denial administration
Dec 20, 2016
Bearing signs that read, "Stop the Climate Denier Cabinet," about 50 people protested outside President-elect Donald Trump's transition office in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon, laying the groundwork for a concerted resistance against Trump's anti-science agenda.
"We're offering a very clear choice: stand with the people and science, or side with the fossil fuel industry."
--Jenny Marienau, 350.org
"Today is just the beginning," said Jenny Marienau, U.S. campaigns director for 350.org. "People are horrified by Trump's Climate Denial Cabinet, and we're channeling that outrage into action. Trump has made it clear that he will continue to prioritize greed and profit at the expense of our communities and a livable planet."
"We can't put the EPA in the hands of a climate denier, just as much as we can't hand over our international climate diplomacy to the head of the world's largest and most deceitful oil company," she continued, referring to Trump's picks to run the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, and State Department, Rex Tillerson. "We're offering a very clear choice: stand with the people and science, or side with the fossil fuel industry."
According to organizers, Tuesday's action was a precursor for "sit-ins, protests, and creative actions targeting key senators who claim they recognize the threat of climate change, but haven't yet come out against Pruitt, Tillerson, and other deniers in the cabinet." Other groups taking part include the Sierra Club, Oil Change International, and ClimateTruth.org. "With a network of activists in all 50 states, a student network spanning hundreds of campuses, and a track record of bold actions and mass mobilizations, the movement is ready for a fight," they said.
The protest came amid fears of a climate "witch hunt" under Trump, as well as attempts by scientists and environmental organizations to archive government climate data before Trump's "band of climate conspiracy theorists...storm the castle." Trump is reportedly seeking to cut climate research and programs across several federal agencies.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is setting up an anonymous hotline for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees "to report political meddling."
"I am hearing a lot of worry," said center director Andrew Rosenberg, of speculation over who Trump will choose to head the agency. "The worry is that they will be putting another ideologue in place."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
#notnormal350.orgbig oilepaexxonknewfossil fuelspeople powersierra clubtrumpismus state departmentwar on science
Bearing signs that read, "Stop the Climate Denier Cabinet," about 50 people protested outside President-elect Donald Trump's transition office in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon, laying the groundwork for a concerted resistance against Trump's anti-science agenda.
"We're offering a very clear choice: stand with the people and science, or side with the fossil fuel industry."
--Jenny Marienau, 350.org
"Today is just the beginning," said Jenny Marienau, U.S. campaigns director for 350.org. "People are horrified by Trump's Climate Denial Cabinet, and we're channeling that outrage into action. Trump has made it clear that he will continue to prioritize greed and profit at the expense of our communities and a livable planet."
"We can't put the EPA in the hands of a climate denier, just as much as we can't hand over our international climate diplomacy to the head of the world's largest and most deceitful oil company," she continued, referring to Trump's picks to run the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, and State Department, Rex Tillerson. "We're offering a very clear choice: stand with the people and science, or side with the fossil fuel industry."
According to organizers, Tuesday's action was a precursor for "sit-ins, protests, and creative actions targeting key senators who claim they recognize the threat of climate change, but haven't yet come out against Pruitt, Tillerson, and other deniers in the cabinet." Other groups taking part include the Sierra Club, Oil Change International, and ClimateTruth.org. "With a network of activists in all 50 states, a student network spanning hundreds of campuses, and a track record of bold actions and mass mobilizations, the movement is ready for a fight," they said.
The protest came amid fears of a climate "witch hunt" under Trump, as well as attempts by scientists and environmental organizations to archive government climate data before Trump's "band of climate conspiracy theorists...storm the castle." Trump is reportedly seeking to cut climate research and programs across several federal agencies.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is setting up an anonymous hotline for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees "to report political meddling."
"I am hearing a lot of worry," said center director Andrew Rosenberg, of speculation over who Trump will choose to head the agency. "The worry is that they will be putting another ideologue in place."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Bearing signs that read, "Stop the Climate Denier Cabinet," about 50 people protested outside President-elect Donald Trump's transition office in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon, laying the groundwork for a concerted resistance against Trump's anti-science agenda.
"We're offering a very clear choice: stand with the people and science, or side with the fossil fuel industry."
--Jenny Marienau, 350.org
"Today is just the beginning," said Jenny Marienau, U.S. campaigns director for 350.org. "People are horrified by Trump's Climate Denial Cabinet, and we're channeling that outrage into action. Trump has made it clear that he will continue to prioritize greed and profit at the expense of our communities and a livable planet."
"We can't put the EPA in the hands of a climate denier, just as much as we can't hand over our international climate diplomacy to the head of the world's largest and most deceitful oil company," she continued, referring to Trump's picks to run the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, and State Department, Rex Tillerson. "We're offering a very clear choice: stand with the people and science, or side with the fossil fuel industry."
According to organizers, Tuesday's action was a precursor for "sit-ins, protests, and creative actions targeting key senators who claim they recognize the threat of climate change, but haven't yet come out against Pruitt, Tillerson, and other deniers in the cabinet." Other groups taking part include the Sierra Club, Oil Change International, and ClimateTruth.org. "With a network of activists in all 50 states, a student network spanning hundreds of campuses, and a track record of bold actions and mass mobilizations, the movement is ready for a fight," they said.
The protest came amid fears of a climate "witch hunt" under Trump, as well as attempts by scientists and environmental organizations to archive government climate data before Trump's "band of climate conspiracy theorists...storm the castle." Trump is reportedly seeking to cut climate research and programs across several federal agencies.
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is setting up an anonymous hotline for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees "to report political meddling."
"I am hearing a lot of worry," said center director Andrew Rosenberg, of speculation over who Trump will choose to head the agency. "The worry is that they will be putting another ideologue in place."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.