researchers must remain strong and united

When Donald Trump was first elected President of the United States in 2016, Nature advised scientists engage constructively with Trump. We said that the new president’s contrarian approach to evidence, among other things, has no place in today’s society. We added that the scientific community has a responsibility to step up and work with the President and his new administration to ensure they rule based on research and evidence.

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And yet, during Trump’s first term, the world saw a government that ignored and undermined efforts to address some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as climate change and a global pandemic. Many researchers have left US federal science agencies, sometimes replaced by lobbyists and political appointees.

The United States has now re-elected Donald Trump as President. Many researchers told Nature that they are desperateviewing the election results as a step backwards for facts, reason, knowledge and civility.

Last week Nature said that The United States needs a leader who respects evidence. The new administration must embody this principle. On behalf of the research community, we will hold him accountable if he does not live up to expectations.

We hope that the new administration will govern the country in the best interests of the United States. This means sticking to the best of what the previous administration did and not returning to some of the policies of Trump’s first presidency.

The world needs a US president who respects evidence.

This includes respecting scientific consensus when making regulatory decisions in public health, the environment, artificial intelligence, and other areas. It is one of the cornerstones of modern government. Politicians and politicians retain control over decision making, but they cannot control the facts.

Climate change must also remain a top priority. Over the past four years, the United States has taken important steps to recognize that it is in its own interest not to stand still while global temperatures continue to rise. It has adopted policies to support industries and communities during the upcoming transition to sustainable development. If these policies are reversed, people with the lowest incomes and members of marginalized communities will be among those who will suffer the most.

Both the United States and the world are at their best when a country is engaged in international relations. That means not repeating the previous Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord, an agreement aimed at protecting the world from the effects of climate change that American scientists helped craft. This means continuing to support other important international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO.

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Trump threat to protect WHO in 2020 was especially dangerous for those low-income countries where the agency’s work is critical to fighting disease and maintaining public health infrastructure standards. Currently, WHO epidemiologists, doctors and logistics staff are helping to treat and control diseases in countries such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, Sudan and Yemen. Diseases do not respect borders: it is in the best interests of the United States to cooperate and collaborate with international institutions to combat their spread.

The United States is a country that welcomes talent from around the world, both in science and other fields. This must continue if the country is to maintain its strength in research and innovation, which is the basis of prosperity.

The research community must show courage, tenacity, strength, and unity in dealing with the new administration. At the same time, scientists in the United States should know that they are not alone. The research community is global. We need to unite and resolutely confront the challenges ahead. And this will mean that we will continue to tell the authorities the facts.