Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017.Credit: Gagner McNamee/Getty
Dear Mr. President-elect,
On January 20, you will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. Congratulations on your victory. A majority of American voters have placed their trust in you. It’s a huge responsibility.
We, editors of the international scientific journal Natureexplain why we believe science is essential to an administration’s ability to maintain the country. health, prosperity and security. And we describe what researchers will need to help your government achieve these goals.
Research and innovation are overlapping areas in which the United States has led the world for generations. The work of scientists is the basis of health and prosperity. Take the Human Genome Project: this $3 billion investment revolutionized our understanding of disease. Less than a decade after the project’s completion, he had added about $1 trillion to the U.S. economy.
Science could solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Why don’t governments use it?
As you prepare to return to the White House, we urge you not to lose sight of the need for the U.S. government to continue to provide support to researchers, particularly in terms of basic science and opportunities for researchers to collaborate with their peers around the world. . And we invite you to examine the evidence of what works and what doesn’t work before announcing new policies.
Climate and energy security must be a priority. From a scientific point of view, there is no doubt that human activities are warming the planet. Researchers largely agree that all nations are vulnerable to severe disruption from the continued burning of fossil fuels.
Disruptive climate effects likely contributed significantly to the devastating wildfires seen in California this month, to name just the most recent example. Smoke from wildfires poses a serious health hazard. Many important policies intended to protect people from the effects of climate change, including investing in new energy sources, are in place in the United States. Your administration has the opportunity – and responsibility – to build on this work.
Scientists are building giant ‘evidence banks’ to create policies that actually work
But the United States cannot tackle climate change or health problems, such as infectious diseases, alone. The country must continue to work with and, where appropriate, lead other countries through the global organizations and agreements to which it is a party and, in many cases, helped establish. International agreements are complicated and imperfect, but they can be reformed. The alternative – not having them or opting out – will put the United States and the rest of the world at greater risk. We invite you to get involved. Global cooperation is the only viable approach to global problems.
You have also expressed your desire for government reform, including reducing public sector spending and improving government efficiency. Some researchers are frustrated with certain aspects of how government works, such as how research funds are allocated and how drugs and biomedical products are controlled. One of their concerns is that overly cautious rules could slow the rollout of life-saving treatments.
As your administration seeks to improve outcomes, we invite you to consult with as many stakeholders as possible, including those who study the problems you seek to solve, as well as those who have experienced them. This will provide the best chance of achieving optimal solutions. Useful information will come from industry. Companies have extensive experience experimenting with product and process innovation, and keenly feel the impact of poorly thought-out regulations. We also encourage you to speak to consumer organizations; patient groups; researchers who study science and ethics, as well as science and public policy; and the research services of the regulatory agencies themselves.
What Trump 2.0 means for science: the likely winners and losers
Transparency is a non-negotiable principle in modern societies and is essential for the verification of scientific knowledge. The ability to work in an open and transparent manner is also essential to the work of scientists working as career civil servants in various branches of the federal government. These subject matter experts are essential to public safety, whether it’s climate change, infectious disease, or artificial intelligence. As Nature reports in a News this weekresearchers worry about the possibility that civil service personnel will be replaced with each change of administration. Such a change would not serve the interests of the American people.
American science has transformed the United States and the world. Today, research is a highly collaborative enterprise. Great discoveries and innovations occur when researchers are able to communicate, learn, visit, live and work with researchers from different countries. This enables effective exchange of knowledge and allows the best and brightest to work together, regardless of where they were born, giving technological advancements the best chance of success. We urge you and your administration to ensure that the United States continues to welcome researchers from around the world.
Mr. President-elect, science is a self-correcting process in which bad actors and misconceptions are sooner or later eliminated and fuzzy evidence becomes sharper. It is the joy and beauty of the method that has made the modern world what it is.
The more science you can support, the better for the United States and its people – and, ultimately, for the planet we all depend on. If you succeed, it will be a positive legacy for your administration.
Sincerely, the editors of Nature.