The prestigious science journal Nature condemns the Canadian government in an editorial in its latest edition. The article posts the sorry record of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who has resisted or ignored good scientific advice and has committed Canada to a fossil-fuel economy at a potentially disastrous time.

Nature is not a partisan magazine; it’s a journal dedicated to science – committed to objectivity and evidence as a matter of course. Yet the editors felt moved to say this: “The present government might be dissolved after a vote of confidence next month, which could in itself lead to a change for the better.”

Given the similarly sorry record of preceding Canadian governments when dealing with this file, that may be an unreasonably optimistic view. But Nature also calls for an increasingly activist approach by scientists – and it has been courageous here in showing the way.