Governments should focus on solving the immediate problems of today rather than on trying to solve the anticipated problems of the future.

The statement asserts that governments should prioritize solving immediate problems than anticipated problems of the future. Though I partake governments should resolve the immediate problems first, the anticipated problems of the future should be given the same priority.

Admittedly, some immediate problems are so severe that they cannot bear any time lags. Through solving immediate problems, governments can make some clear and warranted achievements for the benefit of the people. For example, immediately shutting down heavy industries can reduce cities particulate matter volume and render cities a green image. Constructing more highways can resolve every day’s traffic jams. Building more apartments can mitigate the high price of estates. Deteriorated living space, polluted air, inefficient traffic network and the high price of living are immediate problems that relate directly to the public’s well-being. Surely, it is a government’s responsibility to put these problems high on their agenda.

That said, solving today’s problems in consideration of tomorrow’s problems can give governments a bigger image of what needs to be done. After seeing the whole picture, governments can elaborate a long-term plan to totally eradicate the problems of today and tomorrow. Taking Bordeaux Metropolitan as an example, in order to retreat the polluted river, Bordeaux authorities did not limit their eyes on the river itself. They link the current pollution problems with the anticipated problems brought by Global warming and the rise of sea levels. Through connecting these problems, the government released a plan of Natural Cure. This plan transforms a polluted river into a marine animal preservation. Compared with the traditional cleaning plan that uses chemical products, this plan requests only physical cleaning which is cleaner and more ecofriendly. Furthermore, this area is designed as a sponge that responds positively to the raise of sea-levels. Anticipating the future’s urban issue helps Bordeaux authorities to elaborate a single plan that resolves two questions at once, at low-cost with more benefits.

Focusing only on today’s immediate problems and ignoring the future’s anticipated problems brings detrimental effects. First, resolutions to only the immediate problems carries the risk of being palliative rather than curative. “Ghost Cities” adequately illustrate this point. Local governments failed to associate the immediate problem of housing shortage with the hidden threat of environmental problems. New buildings were born at the expense of nature. After having settled down for several years, new residents moved out to other cities because of flooding and sandstorms. Thus, the whole city turned to a ghost city. All efforts that the local government made, in terms of time, money and human force, are in vain.

Suffice to note, governments focusing only on immediate problems will give scholars a wrong signal that the government cares only about research producing practical and immediate benefits. This wrong signal deeply frustrates scholars who study into the very cutting-edge technologies. However, these cutting-edge technologies, which may not bring benefits right now, may resolve a problem totally. Taking the technique of terraforming as an example, although, it cannot resolve the diverse urban issue, this technique can make these urban issues obsolete by building new cities in other planets. Thus, by looking for immediate solutions for the pressing problems, governments may miss other creative and efficient solutions.

In sum, governments should begin to resolve the pressing problems immediately because it same time and gives a hint on how to solve future problems. However, they should not ignore the anticipated problems of the future. For that, combining two types of problems provides a better solution at lower costs with more benefits. In contrast, ignoring the future problems a risk of wasting resources and indirectly affects the corresponding research into possible solutions.