Air travel and climate change
The scientific journal Science Advances recently published an editorial entitled " Virtual meetings: A critical step to address climate change ". It highlights the importance of cutting down on unnecessary travel and substituting it with online alternatives. The article has particular appeal for academics: "As individual scientists, we are accustomed to working toward long-term goals. We invest decades in our training, and many of us conduct research programs that require decades to come to fruition." Long-term thinking is a key element to climate solutions. After all, a sprint and a marathon require different training, preparation and strategy. But it is not that long-term thinking is restricted to scientists, it is just that the journal targets a scientific audience. The article also reminds us that most of us (scientists or not) do employ long-term thinking perhaps without even realizing it. "Similarly, in our personal lives, most of us avoid smoking, try to...