Describe how community leaders can use science to make decisions that benefit society

Community leaders can use science to make decisions that benefit the society in a number of ways. 
scientific knowledge leads to new applications that benefit society. e.g. biology and biochemistry leads to the development and discovery of drugs and vaccines  to fight diseases, e.g. vaccines for polio, small pox, measles e.t.c. in 1980, who announced that smallpox has been eradicated. 
scientific knowledge has leads to many technological advance e.g the invention of computers and the world wide web greatly improved communication and reduced the world to a 'global village', improving trade and opening up a host of opportunities for people even with low socio-economic backgrounds. knowledge of physics humanity explore space, and efforts are underway to find a viable planet to support human life that increases the chances for human survival if conditions on earth become unconducive for life, or to prevent over population. scientific knowledge opens up a vista of opportunities that community leaders can use  to tailor circumstances to the benefit of society. 

If its history of, then b) because a) implies only present day (now)