One of the signs that the so-called “March for Science” has been taken over by the usual gaggle of left-wing social justice warriors can be read on the front of one of the event’s official T-shirts, “There is No Planet B.” The implication is that if humanity does not take drastic and draconian action on climate change and various other problems, we will lose the only planet there is and we will all die. However, Keith Cowing of NASA Watch has decided to push back with a tweet that reads, “There is a Planet B. Thousands. Millions of them. Without @NASA @NSF science funding we will never find them.
From a scientific perspective, Cowing is perfectly correct. Science tells us that there are likely millions of Earth-like planets in the universe. Indeed, given the commitment of resources, people could settle other worlds of our solar system, particularly the moon and Mars. So that makes the “March on Science” comprised of science deniers.
Of course, Space Colonies and using space based resources for the betterment of humankind runs counter to the doomsayers of the climate change movement. The basis of the environmental movement is that there is only one planet with increasingly scarce resources. The idea that humanity can move across the solar system and ultimately to the stars puts a lie to that supposition and provides a more hopeful alternative to ecological doom and a police state designed to limit human prosperity.
Climate change is not just a science question, though despite the claims of many the science of the matter is hardly settled. The theory has become a political controversy, with one side pushing for expansive government controls on every aspect of life with the excuse that it is necessary to save the planet and the other side pushing back against such an assault on human freedom and dignity.
The tragedy about the “March for Science” is that demonstrating for the importance of science in society and advocating greater attention and resources directed at research are all very worthy activities. Even a conservative such as Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas endorsed the march on that basis. Culberson is the chair of a House appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA and other science-oriented agencies of the Federal government.
Unlike the stereotype promulgated by the mainstream media, Culberson is a science enthusiast.
However, the “March for Science” is likely to be seen as just another airing of left-wing grievances gussied up with the labels of “science” to make it seem more respectable than what it is. The resulting spectacle is likely to undermine the message of science’s importance and make people even more cynical about how everything has become political.
