AbstractA nanotechnology scenario is presented as if observing the world from the year 2015. The incremental, high techno-economic and total societal scenarios convey the range of possibilities that ought to be anticipated. The implications are too great for the traditional reliance on reactive ‘social innovation’ in response to technological innovation gone awry.Given the magnitude of the potential impacts several actions appear warranted now: the topic should be considered immediately; centers should be set up backed by government and industry support; ongoing public education efforts should build on the recent spurt of popular coverage of nanotechnology; governmental and academic units should devise alternative institutional structures to deal with emerging nanotechnology issues.