According to Healey, Massachusetts has received more than $8 billion from the Biden-Harris administration, including funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This money will be used for various climate-related initiatives, including reimbursing residents for energy-efficient appliances, upgrading the electric grid, and installing electric heat pumps in low-income households.

While some worry that unspent federal funds could be clawed back, others, like former White House national climate adviser and Boston native Gina McCarthy, said the policies of the past four years have created momentum for future fossil fuel divestment that will be hard to stop .

“Our country has made the most significant investments in the last four years to rebuild our economy by creating clean energy jobs, protecting public health and supporting communities most in need,” McCarthy said.

She noted that many of these new energy projects are under construction or already operating in Republican counties. “The IRA is good for businesses and good for all Americans, so any attempt to roll back the IRA is a fool’s errand.”

Facing the reality of a second Trump administration, some environmentalists are focusing on local action.

“I don’t want the only message to be ‘doom and gloom,’ because I think the state has a lot to be proud of and there’s a lot we can accomplish,” said Casey Bowers, executive director of the League of Massachusetts Environmental Action Fund. “So I’m not ready to throw in the towel, and I don’t think anyone in the environmental community is either.”

She and others pointed to the comprehensive climate and clean energy bill currently being considered in the state legislature, as well as the investments Massachusetts has made in climate technology and preparedness for the impacts of climate change.

“We are well positioned to make further progress on both climate and environmental protection,” said Brad Campbell, president of the Conservation Law Foundation in Massachusetts. “The fights will be tougher, but during the last (Trump) administration we achieved great success in protecting the environment and decarbonizing the economy through our efforts at the state level.”

He added that Trump’s election means leaders must step up action to combat climate change.

“I think the burden on them will be greater. We’re going to look to them for leadership that essentially balances the kind of leadership and protection that we’re not going to see at the federal level,” he said.

Rep. Jeff Roy of Franklin, a Democrat and co-chair of the legislative committee that deals with climate policy, said lawmakers do not take this responsibility lightly.

“It will be up to states like Massachusetts to continue to lead the way and survive the next four years under a president who will stifle progress made so far,” he wrote in an email. “We are ready to continue our work, step up again and lead the way despite his opposition.”

While this election will likely have significant consequences in a variety of areas, it will deal a particular blow to recent progress on climate and environmental justice issues, said Mireille Bejjani, co-executive director of Slingshot, a regional environmental justice organization.

“It’s a moment of sadness and despair for many people for many reasons,” she said.

And yet, she added, “No matter what the outcome, we had to keep organizing because there was always more work we needed to do and there was always more we wanted to move forward.”

“So let’s focus on that instead of letting ourselves be driven into hopelessness or helplessness.”