We Need a Second Giant Leap for Humankind

As today’s students grow up, our future is uncertain and we will face unprecedented challenges to our way of living and to our survival as a species. Our population continues to climb, but the amount of clean water and living space we have here on Earth has been stretched thin. Our climate has been growing increasingly extreme. A disease like the Avian Flu, which (currently) has a 60 percent mortality rate could become transmitted by humans, and in our age of rapid travel, turn into a worldwide pandemic. The Earth is experiencing a rapid decline in biodiversity, especially in our oceans. We could be faced with a killer asteroid in the near future.

Science is what will allow us to overcome these threats. We have a different vision of the future. We have a vision where we overcome climate change through revolutionary technology like algae fuel and wave energy. We see a future of self healing power grids and evacuated tube transport. We will learn how to turn off cancer cells and find a cure to AIDS. We will print new livers and kidneys from 3D printers and use stem cells to repair spinal cords. We see a future with nuclear fusion, microchips on contact lenses, and automated cars. Instead of being hit by an asteroid, we see a future where we mine them. We have a vision where we explore Mars and put colonies on other planets.

If we want to take a Second Giant Leap, the culture surrounding science must change. Science is underfunded and denied by far too many. We are calling for 1 trillion dollars of new funding for scientific research and development over the next decade. We are also calling for a permanent end to legislation that would promote the denial of science and a broader acceptance of evidence-based science