Multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) is an effective approach to structuring a complex problem and exploring meaningful courses of actions to converge to good solutions that balance various concerns of decision makers. The need to do this is becoming more crucial as the challenges the planet and the societies are facing get more complex and the consequences get more grave. There seems to be an agreement among scientists that climate change has passed certain thresholds and some of the potential disasterous effects to the planet are now irreversible. In addition to climate change, racism, access to healthcare, lack of education, unemployment, immigration, and poverty are some of the major problems faced by masses in the twenty-first century. Many of those who are in positions to make changes, however, seem to overlook these major problems. We seem to be far from the necessary vision and collaboration to start making progress on these urgent issues. The efforts of many nongovernmental organizations to attract societies’ attention to some of these problems are commendable but not sufficient to reverse the negative effects. This is where I believe MCDM scholars can make a difference. Studying such complex problems that have the potential to ruin many lives of future generations may make a positive impact. We have the capability of structuring, exploring, and demonstrating the consequences of various decisions (especially the business-as-usual scenarios). Disseminating these results not only in scholarly publications but also in mass media can increase the awarenesses of the societies and may help initiate major changes in the right direction.

I personally know the editors and many of the authors of this book. They have been making important methodological and practical contributions to MCDM. I have served the International Society on MCDM for many years in different capacities including as president of the society for 4 years. During my tenure at these positions, I have known and