I don’t know why it always surprises me when brilliant people, such as scientists at top research institutions, are unable to think creatively when it comes to policy. Here’s a quote from an editorial in last week’s Nature:

Governments should work together to build the supercomputers needed for future predictions that can capture the detail required to inform policy.

And, about ten pages later, you see:

Sustainable solutions to worldwide crises such as overpopulation and climate change need regulating by global bodies, but whose views should these organizations represent?

Both articles address the pros and cons of these statements, but still conclude that government is our only hope. I see this as a sign that scientists lack imagination, which seems contradictory to the nature of science. Twenty years ago, who would have thought that everyone would use mobile phones the way that we do, that the internet would be so powerful, and that computers would be so essential? Yet these things happened because of entrepreneurs and in spite of the government. If we want to “Save the Planet,” governments should be the last place we look for help.

The Best of Kathryn Muratore