This year, both the UK and US had major elections where the governing party lost in a big way. At moments like this, we usually focus on what these kinds of shifts will mean, if anything, for everyday life. Less at the forefront of people鈥檚 minds is the impact on scientific research. There is a tendency to think of this endeavour as separate.
But the truth is, it isn鈥檛. There is a very obvious reason why we can鈥檛 think of the politics of those in power as separate from what happens in the world of science. Our government agencies are among those tasked with researching and preparing for climate change. It is thanks in part to NASA data that we know 2024 will be the hottest year on record for our planet. Whoever is in the White House is actually NASA鈥檚 top boss. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is another US government agency that plays a key role in understanding how climate change is happening. Without such research, our ability to understand how quickly climate change is setting in and what that means for the lives of everyday people could be harmed.
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This isn鈥檛 hypothetical. At the time of writing, my best friend has been without potable water in Asheville, North Carolina, for almost a month and a half. This city was meant to be a climate haven, due to its moderate weather. But it was hit by Hurricane Helene in September, in a scenario that experts say is only likely to happen as part of an escalation of climate change. Not only was Asheville鈥檚 water system severely damaged, but parts of the mountain forest that surrounds it were also wiped out. Where there were green, carbon dioxide-consuming trees, there is now a massive arboreal graveyard.
Climate change research not only helps us all demand that our political leaders do something about the growing crisis, but it also helps us predict how that crisis will unfold. If we know more about how hurricanes work, we will be better able to prepare for them. Of course, ultimately the goal has to be to minimise how much change occurs at all.
In some ways, it might already be too late. But every day is a new day to do better. Climate change is an existential crisis for humanity. Will the coming generations have an atmosphere and weather conditions that are friendly to life as we understand it? We are making that decision right now.
And this is the part where other science comes in. It isn鈥檛 all about the atmosphere. For example, research about bees matters because they help pollinate up to one-third of the food we eat. Our ecosystems are incredible networks with a lot of mutual dependency. Every little microbe is significant.
However, as you may know, I am not a biologist but do research in theoretical physics that has no obvious practical applications.
It still matters though. The work I do helps us remember the bigger picture and to ask the questions that shape how we live our lives. At its core, such work is concerned with fundamental questions of human existence in the context of the wider cosmos. This is, of course, connected with why we must proactively respond to climate change, which I have already called an existential crisis.
Scientific research across many disciplines plays a role in helping humanity think through how to make meaning of why we are here and why we should continue. In the case of particle physics, cosmology and astrophysics, we help everyone remember that there is still so much opportunity to connect with our cosmos 鈥� if we will just give ourselves a fighting chance to be part of its future.
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an associate professor of physics and astronomy, and a core faculty member in women鈥檚 studies at the University of New Hampshire. Her most recent book is The Disordered Cosmos: A journey into dark matter, spacetime, and dreams deferred
