A chance for optimism: Engineering the break away from the downward spiral in trust and social cohesion or keeping the fish from disappearing

There is room for optimism. There is a considerable potential to thwart
the dystopias of the joint collapse of democracy and the natural
environment. We know why public action remains too little too late: too
little trust among substantial groups of the population that the
collective response to globalization is serving them and too little
broadly spread information on the pending collapse of the natural
environment. We also know what increases trust: collective action
towards more social cohesion, towards less income and wealth inequality,
towards better chances for a quality education for all children and a
more equal access to health care, funded by taxes on profits and on
wealth. The chance for optimism is in the use of that knowledge in
public policy. Put knowledge institutes in the position of promoting the
knowledge that provides leeway for more trust in society and in
Government and for better informing the public that climate change is a
threat to all. Trust and information to save the fish from extinction in
the 2080’s by taking decisions in the 2020’s.