The concept of ‘foresight’ has been in and out of fashion with governments for decades, and the science community has been calling attention to long-term issues for even longer. Yet, the world was still unprepared for Covid-19 in the same way that we will be surprised when the impact of climate change and other SDG challenges begin to accelerate through cumulative impact cycles.
Why do successive governments fail to act? Does science advice have a role in accelerating a meaningful anticipatory response to long-term systemic issues?
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