'There is no Planet B' and other protest signs of the times

Trump supporters taunt one of the organisers of a march in New York. Photo / AP

On a hot day, tens of thousands of demonstrators assembled in Washington for the latest installment of the regular protests that punctuate the Trump era.

This climate march marks President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office, which have been punctuated by multiple rollbacks of environmental protections and Obama climate policies.

The Peoples Climate March, which originated with a massive demonstration in New York in September 2014, picked a symbolically hot day for its 2017 event, amplifying the movement's message.

Demonstrators wearing paper mache heads representing President Donald Trump and the planet Earth. Photo / AP

The Environmental Protection Agency announced that it was beginning an overhaul of its website, which included taking down a long-standing site devoted to the science of climate change, which the agency said was "under review". New Yorker Kathy Sommer carried a sign which read "Hang on EPA, the midterms are coming. 2018," as the protest assembled on the National Mall in Washington. "There is no Planet B," read another sign by Eva Gunther of Washington.

Many of the signs were dark and ominous, warning of climate catastrophe, dying oceans, crop destruction and planet degradation. But the mood of the marchers was anything but sombre. It was a racially diverse crowd with marchers of all ages. "It's beautiful," said Allison Dale, a geologist from Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. "it's so well organised and everyone is really friendly and in a really good mood."

Ken Hunter, 78, travelled from Charlestown, West Virginia. He also came to Washington for the March for Science last weekend and the Tax March on April 15 and attended a Women's March in Florida. "Hell, I haven't marched this much in years," Hunter said. "But these are all very important issues and it was important to be out here."