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Protest takes on Trump’s climate policies in DC march

Posted at 3:41 PM, Apr 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-29 15:41:35-04

Protesters backing action on climate change are braving the sweltering heat Saturday in the nation’s capital as part of the People’s Climate March.

The march began at 12:30 p.m. near the Capitol, and demonstrators plan to move to the White House and end up at the Washington Monument, according to the proposed route map.

Michele Holmes, from Harlem, is one of those activists. She joined about 200 others who climbed into four buses traveling to Washington early Saturday to join in the march.

“Trump is undoing everything Obama did. He doesn’t realize climate change impacts everyone. It impacts him,” Holmes told CNN. “Change is inevitable, and only we can solve it — the impact is just changing the way we live.”

Temperatures neared 90 degrees Saturday, well above the average high of 71 degrees for April 29, according to Weather.com.

Crowds gathered in Washington DC to march against climate change and the Trump administration’s stance on environmental issue

Hundreds of sister marches were also planned across the United States and around the world.

Coinciding with Donald Trump’s 100th day in office, the protests are taking on the President’s environmental policies, which have generally prioritized economic growth over environmental concerns.

During those first 100 days, the Environmental Protection Agency has moved swiftly to roll back Obama-era regulations on fossil fuels while also facing significant planned budget cuts.

On Friday, the EPA removed most climate change information from its website, saying in a statement that the language was updated to “reflect the approach of new leadership.”

The protest continues the trend of heightened liberal activism since Trump’s election, best seen in the Women’s March in January and the protests at airports to combat the administration’s travel ban.

“We’ve already seen just how effective people power is against this administration: Trumpcare? Withdrawn. Muslim ban? Blocked,” the protest group’s website says.

“Now Trump’s entire fossil fuel agenda is next, and we believe that the path forward is based in the voice of the people — which is expressed first and foremost through mass protests and mass marches.”

‘Trump is undoing everything Obama did’

On Facebook, about 12,000 people RSVP’d they would attend the event in Washington. Celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio joined in the protest as well.

DiCaprio marched alongside an indigenous rights group, carrying a sign saying, “Climate change is real.”

The protest was full of references to Trump and his frequent trips to his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago, including a Trump-like figure teeing off on the Earth.

Joining the march in Washington, 16-year-old Olivia Springberg tried to make the issue of climate change personal to Trump. She held a sign that warned how rising sea levels could affect Mar-a-Lago.

Playful tweaks on Trump slogans — “Make America cool again,” for example — were prominent as well as signs showing climate change’s impact on animal species.