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The replies asserting that this is about scientists, not political will, are missing the point, I think. The way things are, governments largely allow economic factors to dictate their response to these problems. They could pour more resources in and accelerate development. https://twitter.com/RonanODalaigh/status/1336382218072186881
Take antibiotic resistance. We know this is a huge looming problem - but I was startled to learn a few years ago that no significant new antibiotics had been developed since the late 80s, because of how the economics around those drugs work.
Basically, it's really expensive and the drug companies only get an exclusive licence to make a new antibiotic they've developed for a few years, then everyone can make it. So they keep tinkering with the old antibiotics and giving them new names.
If the economic incentives to develop new antibiotics aren't working, governments have to take it upon themselves to put resources into the problem. They can't just leave it up to "the market" to sort out.
With Covid-19 the economy is under threat, and a vaccine is the best chance of getting things moving, so governments have made huge orders of vaccines. Yes, it's an incredible feat from those who made it - but the point is, this is what happens if you give them the resources.
If today it was announced that, actually, they'd overestimated how much oil is left and it'll run out in a year, how far do you think electric vehicle and biofuel technology would advance in that time? Quite a bit, I reckon.
