Hawking Just Became The Latest Victim of Trump’s War on Science
President Donald Trump’s war on science has claimed another victim. Noted English theoretical physicist, cosmologist and best-selling author Stephen Hawking says that he fears he may not be welcome in the U.S. any longer because of his belief that the threat of climate change is very real.
Hawking, whose many honors include the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, in an interview today with host Piers Morgan on the TV show Good Morning Britain, called on Trump to fire Scott Pruitt as head of the EPA, “Climate change is one of the great dangers we face,” says Hawking, “and it’s one we can prevent. It affects America badly, so tackling it should win votes for his second term. God forbid.”
Hawking also revealed that he had hoped to travel to the U.S. soon to discuss climate change issues with other scientists who are trying to address what he sees as a serious threat. He said he has many friends and colleagues in the U.S. and it is still a place he likes, “but I fear that I may not be welcome.”
For Hawking to feel personally persecuted by Trump’s virulent anti-science and anti-truth beliefs should be a loud and clear warning sign to all of us.
Hawking, one of the world’s most noted scientists even though he suffers from the disease ALS, last May called Trump a “demagogue who appeals to the lowest common denominator.”
“Trump was elected by people who felt disenfranchised by the governing elite in a revolt against globalization,” he said. “His priority will be to satisfy his electorate, who are neither liberal nor that well informed.”
As America heads toward another new record for the hottest year in history, and as the rest of the world has signed the Paris accords to take on the threat of climate change, Trump has been leading America backwards. He has said he doesn’t believe climate change is caused by humans and hired Pruitt, who denies CO2 is a major cause of climate change, to head the EPA – an agency he was actively suing before.
In his new budget, Trump has proposed major cuts at the EPA, especially as it relates to efforts to address climate change. Trump has also failed to fill dozens of positions in the government for scientists, as a message that science and facts are no longer a guide to his policy concerning the global threat of climate change.
In Trump’s war on science, it is likely all Americans will become victims.
