Science under pressure: Protests for the freedom of research!

Science under pressure: Protests for the freedom of research!

In the United States, the attacks on science are in full swing: institutions are closed, research areas are prohibited and important data, for example for disease control or climate change, are no longer accessible. These alarming developments lead to uncertainty among researchers, many threaten to terminate. According to various scientists, courageous voices are required to continue to talk freely and well -founded about essential topics. This describes vienna.at

In order to counteract these anti -science currents, scientists from Europe are planning to actively set an example. The supporters include prominent personalities such as climate scientist Helga Kromp-Kolb and the climate policy expert Reinhard Steurer. A demonstration is planned under the motto "March for Science", which is due to take place on March 7 in Washington DC after several tens of thousands of worldwide protested for a fact -based policy and the importance of science in April 2017. There will also be a corresponding campaign in Vienna to defend the independence of scientific thinking and to keep up the principles of the Enlightenment, such as Spiegel.de In view of this challenge, the organizers emphasize that the light of the Enlightenment in Europe has not gone out. The focus of the event is to assert science as a trustworthy source and to avert the impending step backwards of a facts based on facts. The question remains: Which direct steps are necessary to counteract the anti -science developments and to ensure the merits of research?