This story reflects the views of this author, but not necessarily the editorial position of Fast Company.

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But now, after many years abroad, my husband (also a marine biologist) and I are moving back to the United States with our three children. Although this choice may seem counterintuitive in a political climate that is overtly hostile to science and solving environmental problems, I believe that science and scientists are needed in the United States now more than ever before. Corals–And Scientists–Under Pressure There’s a practical motive for our shift to the University of Hawaii. Finding two faculty jobs in the same place is rare enough that the universal conundrum of dual-career academic couples like us has its own name: “the two-body problem.” Practical factors can, however, make it seem professionally unwise for scientists to move to the United States now. Federal research funding, upon which many academic researchers depend, will likely suffer major blows under the Trump administration. For example, although the National Science Foundation fares relatively well under Trump’s proposed science budget for fiscal 2019, its funding for research platform construction and scientific instrumentation acquisition would decrease by more than 50% if Congress supports the administration’s request. The Environmental Protection Agency’s funding would drop to its lowest level since the early 1990s, and its climate change research funding would be eliminated. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) budget would be slashed by 20%. NOAA’s climate change grants and the Sea Grant College Program, which supports thousands of researchers studying coastal, ocean and Great Lakes topics, would be terminated. Related: These Maps Show How Climate Change Will Mess Up The Weather Where You Live These potential cuts loom at a time when the world’s coral reefs are in crisis. Stresses on reefs include rising ocean temperatures and acidification due to climate change; fishing, which is cutting key parts out of marine food webs; and pollution from coastal development and agriculture.

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Hawaii is hardly the focus of my concerns–it’s among the most environmentally progressive states. But even there, fishing, pollution, and climate change threaten coral reef ecosystems, particularly near the human-populated main Hawaiian Islands. Many scientists both within and beyond Hawaii are helping to guide wise decision making on these issues. It is challenging but also exciting to be a scientist in this unique time and place. I’m eager to engage with whoever will listen in Washington, Hawaii, and elsewhere to do what I believe is every modern-day scientist’s responsibility: informing actions that will help make the world a better place. Elizabeth Madin will be an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii beginning in May 2018. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher in marine ecology at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. This article was originally published on The Conversation, which is publishing scientists’ perspectives on the role of scientists in society during the second March for Science on April 14, 2018. Read the original article here.