The early months of Donald Trump’s presidency have brought sweeping changes to the country’s scientific and medical landscape. Deep cuts to research funding and widespread layoffs have threatened progress in medicine, energy, climate science and other key fields — areas where the United States has long been a global leader.

The future is uncertain, but decline isn’t inevitable. Times Opinion asked experts across disciplines to share concrete ways that individuals, organizations and local leaders can keep science and health efforts moving forward. Here are their ideas.

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner: As the Trump administration moves to halt areas of vaccine research, drops funding for vaccine clinics and deletes vaccine information from government websites, it’s crucial to find ways to ensure that vaccine availability and use remains grounded in the best available science. The Vaccine Integrity Project is a new initiative that will be making recommendations about how to continue vaccination programs to avert death, disability and hospitalizations from preventable diseases. We see it as a precaution against potential threats, including the politicization of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine advisory committee, an unchecked expansion of the measles and whooping cough outbreaks or the loss of state and local immunization program support.

Josh Green, governor of Hawaii: In May, Hawaii became the first state to pass a climate impact fee that will enable us to protect ourselves against future climate-related disasters like the devastating Maui fires. A small 0.75 percent increase in the hotel tax for all travelers to Hawaii will generate $100 million per year, which may also be used to bond $1 billion annually. These resources will fund new research, development and deployment of strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change, such as reducing carbon emissions, protecting and restoring ecosystems and building climate-resilient infrastructure and communities. This is just one example of how state and local governments can take control of their own fates and survive harsh federal cuts.

Dr. Kate Marvel, climate scientist: Scientists are trained to support conclusions with evidence, not emotion. But rational arguments can’t stop irrational decisions. The people firing scientists and erasing data will tell you coal is clean, the climate isn’t changing and weather forecasting is unimportant. They are lying. In response, scientists can tell the truth. Not just in papers and talks but in the media, in our communities and on the streets. The fear of retaliation is real, and not everyone can speak up. But those of us who can should get angry, get loud, and show that mad scientists are a force to be reckoned with.

Dr. Reshma Ramachandran, Doctors for America board member: Days after the Trump administration purged thousands of pages from federal public health agency websites, Doctors for America, an advocacy organization of over 27,000 physicians and medical students, filed a lawsuit to restore and protect these essential sources. The websites contain critical resources for treating patients, data to improve medical practices and public health and guidance to ensure that clinical trials for new treatments are designed to reflect demographics in the real world. We were successfully granted a temporary restraining order that has led to the restoration of several of these websites, and we continue to fight in court for access to them.

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