World’s Fairs used to be an opportunity to examine a better future for society. They were about innovation, progress and development, and brought together inventors and businesses eager to demonstrate technological advancements designed for the greater good of all. This year’s Expo Milano 2015, with the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,” could have followed the same mold. Since the Industrial Revolution, the West has experienced what economic historian Deirdre McCloskey has called “the great enrichment.” With prosperity, nutrition has made huge leaps forward: Better preservation and refrigeration systems, agricultural advancements and antiseptic packaging have made our diet both richer and more varied. There is much to celebrate. Instead, the Expo has fallen prey to an anti-industrial ideology dressed up as romantic nostalgia.
