How physicists can contribute

It is part of the folklore of physics that physicists can not only do anything, but that they can do it better than anyone else. This modest appraisal is a direct outgrowth of their stunning performance during World War II, in which the development of radar and the invention of nuclear weapons were unmistakably physicists' accomplishments. In the past 25 years physicists in general (and many of those who were involved in the radar and bomb projects) have played anomalously important roles as advisors to the government and industry on problems quite outside their technical specialities. One should not then be too surprised that a number of physicists have become seriously involved with environmental problems.