Travel the World

I just watched a YouTube video in which Emmanuel Macron, the newly-elected President of France, invited U.S. climate scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to come to France to pursue their work on climate change. In my opinion, the invitation was a stroke of genius. It also made me wish I were a climate scientist. Recent skepticism about science in all its forms, fueled by what I believe is conservative and religious idiocy and ignorance, is sweeping across the U.S. and is growing in many other places. Countries with intelligent leaders (e.g., France, Canada, Germany) are countering that dangerous ideology by embracing the idea that we who have put the world in danger can save it; I hope they are right. It’s a shame that the United States, once the undisputed leader in science, technology, and pure research, is on track to lose some of its most precious resources and, in the process, its preeminence as a champion of the pursuit of knowledge. Much of the rest of the world is actively encouraging pure research, knowing it offers opportunities for both environment improvement and economic growth. Those lead to happier, more productive societies. There’s an entire world “out there,” calling on decent, forward-thinking people to join in the pursuit of decency. That, alone, is reason to consider traveling the globe.