"There is no grand breakthrough, no solve-all solution to this problem"

Flynn Daunt
Science and Technology Editor
I’ll admit it. Science and technology is slow, but it will help us solve many issues regarding the degradation of our planet – in time.
You might be asking, If science and technology got us into this environmental mess, how could it fix it? But science and technology have always been used as a means of adaptation and problem solving for humans, even if they’re problems we’ve started ourselves.

That’s where we’re right now with climate change and pollution. Unfortunately, like everything in science and technology, solving this problem will be slow and methodical. As you will read in this supplement, there is no grand breakthrough, no solve-all solution to this problem that grew slowly over a century.
We have yet to make a giant, pollution-eating robot or a trash magnet or a carbon sucker; what we do have are people and researchers trying to understand a very complex situation. It will take years of research, projects that may take decades to establish and alternative products that can take a generation to replace those harmful yet institutionalized household items. The key thing science and research will give the public is knowledge, bringing issues to the forefront for us to make informed decisions.
These solutions can range from sprucing up our local forests to understanding that the word “eco” may not mean “eco-friendly,” to understanding regulations may not always help the environment. Our need to grow and expand has dug us into a hole, and it’s going to take time to figure out how this massive hole is being dug and convince people to stop digging. This doesn’t mean we can just sit back and wait for other people to find a solution.
It means doing research, confirming facts and figuring out how to help – it also means picking up your goddamned trash!