It’s not a stretch to say that science should go hand in hand with politics. Ideally, the science community provides the facts while the government bases its policies on these facts. The science community has always been an integral part of the nation’s progress because there are no alternative facts in science. With the new Trump administration settling into the White House, it’s becoming more and more evident that the ideal relationship between science and politics couldn’t be farther from reality.

Immediately after Donald Trump’s inauguration, the climate science webpage was deleted from the White House website. The removal of the webpage as the new administration moves in isn’t necessarily surprising, especially since climate change was never shown to be an issue that is on Trump’s radar. Trump himself said that “nobody really knows if climate change is real.”

Skepticism is an important quality in the world of science, yet the the skepticism that Trump has towards the validity of climate change seems to go against the consensus. There is a 97% consensus from scientists that climate change due to human activity exists. The denial of the scientific consensus is also shown in the views Trump’s voters. According to the Washington Post, only about 25% of Trump voters believe in human-caused climate change.

Not only has Donald Trump’s climate change skepticism angered scientists, but many are concerned because they fear that Scott Pruitt, Trump’s pick for director of the Environmental Protection Agency, is not exactly keen on protecting the environment. Considering Scott Pruitt’s track record, the backlash towards his nomination doesn’t seem all that unwarranted. Scott Pruitt sued the EPA 14 times and is now expected to lead it. He plans to get rid of all of the Obama administration’s policies, put a hold on all the nation’s ambitions to reduce carbon emissions, and purge the agency of its staffers. From the outside, it seems as though Scott Pruitt was nominated as head of the EPA only to destroy the EPA from within. With a controversial pick like Scott Pruitt, it’s no surprise that Democrats boycotted the committee confirmation vote.

The lack of trust that Donald Trump has shown towards the science community has been an issue for environmentalists and scientists alike. As a result the science community has become more and more political.

In response to the Trump administration, scientist have planned a “March for Science” on Earth Day, April 22.  Frightened by what they see as a complete disregard for their research, scientists are now planning on bringing out their signs and fighting for the support of science. The March for Science does not come without its objections though. Typically one would believe that scientists should stay out of politics and stay in the lab, yet considering the politically charged state of the nation and the widespread success of the Woman’s March, marching on Washington now seems like the natural thing to do.

The fate of the earth is far from being a partisan issue, and if scientists feel like they are being silenced, the least they can do is try to get the attention of Trump and his administration, right? It is questionable whether Donald Trump will even bat an eye towards the protesting scientists but regardless, the march is gaining more and more traction as it approaches it’s April 22nd date.