Scientists worldwide are preparing for a new world after the election of Donald Trump
Science or politics: What a second Trump presidency will really mean for society and for science? An analysis of the Bezos Earth Fund
Bezos and the other billionaires are trying to protect their bottom lines by having a bromance. But that list represents a lot of money and power that could either help keep climate goals alive or fall in line behind a president who told Musk in August that “the biggest threat is nuclear warming … To me, the biggest problem is not climate change.”
Another Trump presidency, on the other hand, would likely increase US greenhouse gas emissions by 4 billion metric tons compared to Biden’s plans, according to a Carbon Brief analysis published before Harris became the Democratic candidate. The US would be taken out of the Paris accord again by Trump.
Local leaders and the private sector tried to fill in the gaps after the US did not take action at the federal level. During the last couple of years of Trump’s first term, a wave of big tech companies made commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — ostensibly in line with what’s needed to reach Paris climate agreement goals.
The Amazon founder and chair launched his Bezos Earth Fund in 2020, committing $10 billion to funding action on climate change. The fund’s website describes it as “the largest philanthropic commitment ever to fight climate change and protect nature.”
He has said that he would give Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a political figure who denied the effectiveness of vaccines, a big role in his administration and has also called climate change a hoax.
Others, though, are focused on what a second Trump presidency will mean for science. “Perhaps one of my biggest worries … is that Trump will be another nail in the coffin for trust in science”, given his anti-science rhetoric, says Lisa Schipper, a geographer specializing in climate change vulnerability at the University of Bonn in Germany. The percentage of people who say that science has had a positive effect on society has been falling since the beginning of the year.
“Starting now, we are going to need brave people, people willing to push back, protect the vulnerable, and do what’s right over what’s easy,” says one senior official with the US Environmental Protection Agency, who declined to be named because they were afraid of retribution under a new Trump administration. We have to remember what is right. And protecting the environment is something that should be done.
The majority of people who responded to a survey by Nature said that they were worried. Climate change, public health and the state of US democracy were some of the concerns that led 86 per cent of the people who responded to the poll to say that they preferred Harris. Some even said they would consider changing where they live or study if Trump won.
The World Needs to Be Ready for a New World: scientists globally react to Trump election win [https://newsletter.com/articles/d41586-024-03635]
The responses geared towards that sentiment quickly came about. The Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation at Stellenbosch University in South Africa was the location of a posting on X by a prominent virologist, who said that he could relocate to one of the best universities in the world.
Some researchers are not against the presidency of Trump. Of those who responded to Nature’s reader survey, 6% expressed a preference for Trump — usually citing concerns about security issues and the economy. The chief scientific officer of Seele Neuroscience told Nature that Donald Trump is the lesser of the evils. The Mexican economy is dependent on the decisions made by the US government.
Another reader who agreed to be contacted but did not want their name to be used, worried about Trump’s hostility towards science and evidence. Nonetheless, the respondent, a longtime nurse from Wilmington, North Carolina, said they would vote for Trump because, “at the end of the day, I want to be safe, and I want to be able to take care of my family.”
“In my long life of 82 years … there has hardly been a day when I felt more sad,” says Fraser Stoddart, a Nobel laureate who left the United States last year and is now chair of chemistry at the University of Hong Kong. I’ve seen something that I feel is extremely bad not for the United States, but for everyone in the world.
Source: ‘We need to be ready for a new world’: scientists globally react to Trump election win
The First Donald Trump Presidency: Where Do We Stand? How Do We Need to Go? What Are We Expect? What Will the Electoral Commission Tell Us?
Votes are still being counted in many places, but Trump has already won enough US states to sail to a resounding victory over his opponent, vice-president and Democrat Kamala Harris. Trump addressed his supporters as the victor early today, declaring his coalition “the greatest political movement of all time”.
Republicans also look primed to win the upper chamber of the US Congress — the Senate — flipping at least three Democratic seats, although there are four more competitive races that have yet to be called for either party. The Republicans are expected to retain control of the US House of Representatives but it’s not clear how long the results will take. This would give Trump and his party full control of government in Washington DC.
There is a researcher at a Polish university who believes that we need to be ready for a new world. It is hard to find any positive aspects for global science and public health if Republicans take over.
The research community must engage with the new administration with courage, tenacity, strength and unity. At the same time, scientists in the United States must know that they are not alone. The research community is spread around the world. We need to stand together and stand strong for the challenges that are to come. Continuing to speak facts will be an important part of that.
Nature said last week that the United States needs a leader who respects evidence. The incoming administration needs to follow this principle. We will hold it to account if it falls short.
The incoming administration must govern in the best interests of the United States. The previous administration did good things, and not reverting to some of the policies of the first Trump presidency is what it means.
The U.S. is Best when It Gets What It Takes to Keep It Suppressed: Do We Care about the Future? The Impact of Trump’s 2020 Exposure to Climate Change on UNESCO, the World Health
This includes respecting the scientific consensus when making regulatory decisions in public health, environmental issues, artificial intelligence and elsewhere. This is a key part of modern government. Politician and policymakers retain control over decision-making but do not have total control over the facts.
As important as climate change is, it must also remain a priority. During the past four years, the United States took important steps in recognizing that it is in its own interests to not stand still as global temperatures continue to increase. It enacted policies to support industries and communities through the coming sustainability transition. If those policies are repealed, people on the lowest incomes and those from marginalized communities will be among those most affected.
Both the United States and the world are at their best when the country engages internationally. That means not repeating the previous Trump administration’s decision to exit the 2015 Paris climate agreement — an accord aimed at protecting the world from the impacts of climate change, which US scientists helped to craft. And it means continuing to support other important international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations science and cultural organization UNESCO.
Trump’s threat to defund the WHO in 2020 was especially dangerous for those low-income countries where the agency’s work is crucial for tackling diseases and maintaining standards of public-health infrastructure. The WHO epidemiologists, clinicians and logistics personnel are currently helping to treat and control diseases in countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan, and Yemen. The United States is best served by fighting diseases that do not respect borders.
The United States has a reputation for being a hospitable place for talent in science and other fields. It’s essential that that continue so the country can keep its strength in research and innovation.
