Scientists attending the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting in San Francisco staged a demonstration Tuesday of President-elect Donald Trump's stand on climate change and his appointments to key agencies. Some of the protesters wore white lab coats and carried signs that said "Stand Up for Science."

Media observers estimated 300 to 400 people took part in the event outside Moscone Center. More than 20,000 people are attending the meeting. http://bit.ly/2gB3Qfg

The protest came on the same day that the U.S. Department of Energy said it would not comply with the Trump transition team's request for the names of people who have worked on climate change, and for the professional society memberships of lab workers, Reuters reported.

In a Dec. 13 blog post, AGU president-elect Eric Davidson said, "the implications of the elections were an undercurrent at our Board and Council meetings, and a topic of conversations throughout the Moscone Center. AGU has already taken steps to address our changing landscape, and our approach is evolving."

Davidson goes on in the form of a letter directed to Trump:

"Because science is one of the great engines of innovation that leads to health and prosperity, I believe we share some common interests for moving America and the world forward," Davidson wrote.

He noted that AGU is "redoubling its efforts" to communicate the value of earth and space sciences. It is also leading a petition across scientific disciplines to encourage the appointment of a science adviser to Trump's inner circle. http://bit.ly/2gJlKS6

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