Big Smile, No Teeth: Stories hold power but facts save lives

The 2001 terror attacks in New York that saw two aircraft flying into the World Trade Center were so shocking that it had Americans driving more rather than flying despite the fact that car accidents kill more people than flying. Stories and images will always beat dry stats. — AFP

A couple of years ago I was the host of a Shark Tank like competition for environmentally sustainable business ideas. All the ideas were potentially world changing. Environmentally-friendly air conditioners. Electrical engines to replace all the diesel ones. Seaweed farms that would store carbon dioxide.

But the idea that won, though definitely worthwhile, seemed very much smaller. It was a proposal to create a straw out of environmentally-friendly material.