Science to Serve the Common Good

摘要

We recognize that human beings are capable of altering life on Earth. Despite this, we still find ourselves hard pressed when it comes to building institutions able to cope with this fact. The trouble is, environmental problems accumulate over long periods of time and often show up on a regional or global scale. Human institutions, including governments and businesses, deal best with local issues that surface over relatively short periods of time. Our capacities to respond do not match the forces of environmental change well at all.