Science is key to sustainable development

“It is crucial that the voice of science be heard when dealing with global issues, as this is the most successful means of creating knowledge,” says Michael Clegg, president of IANAS

By Karina Toledo

Agência FAPESP – To make global development possible, science and scientists must achieve a higher level of influence worldwide. Michael Clegg, president of the Inter-American Network of Academies of Science (IANAS), stated this opinion during the opening ceremony of the First Planning Meeting for the 2013 World Science Forum held at FAPESP headquarters between August 29 and 31.

Clegg affirmed that humanity will encounter many substantial challenges during the 21st century, including climate change, emerging infectious diseases, population growth and difficulties associated with meeting food, water and energy demands.

“It is crucial that the voice of science be heard when dealing with global issues because it is the most successful means of creating knowledge and because it works exclusively with evidence-based arguments,” he said.

Although many problems are global, Clegg says that solutions should be adopted on the national scale and that the academies of science therefore play an important role.

“They are institutions free of political interference, with the credibility to inform the public and policy makers about imminent problems and potential solutions,” he stated.

Clegg proposed the adoption of a common agenda for the academies of science, including initiatives such as offering consulting on science and technology to political leaders, encouraging new centers of excellence in national areas of interest and promoting the evolution of educational programs.

Also present at the opening ceremony of the meeting were Marco Antonio Raupp from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Jacob Palis, president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) and Helena Nader, president of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science (SBPC). Representing FAPESP were President Celso Lafer, CEO of the Executive Board José Arana Varela and Scientific Director Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz.

The 2013 World Science Forum will be held in Rio de Janeiro and organized by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences together with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the ABC. The Forum’s mission is to promote debate between the scientific community and society.

“Holding the 2013 World Science Forum in Brazil will put Brazilian science in the spotlight. It is evidence that we have gained legitimacy and a strong international presence,” said Palis.

Nader talked about the work that all the academies of science in Latin America have performed to enable the Forum to be held outside Hungary for the first time. “As this event is for a more selective public, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation decided to organize preparatory meetings so the discussion of science will reverberate throughout the country,” he said.

In addition to the meetings in São Paulo, meetings will be held throughout the year in Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Recife, Manaus, Porto Alegre and Brasilia. At the end of the national debate, the propositions and main conclusions on science’s role in global development will be consolidated in a document to be divulged before the international meeting in Rio de Janeiro in November of 2013.

Evolution of Brazilian science

Brito Cruz emphasized that FAPESP was pleased to open the discussions on the World Science Forum in Brazil. “The country was chosen in recognition of our notable evolution in science and technology in recent years. One of the important changes has been the increasing role of business in scientific activity,” he pointed out.

Minister Raupp also commented on the growth of Brazilian production in this sector. According to him, R&D spending in the country grew by 85% over the past ten years, although it is still less than ideal.

The minister said that the number of research groups registered with the CNPq jumped from 12,000 in the year 2000 to over 27,000 in 2012—an increase of 134%. The number of articles published in international journals leapt from 3,500 in 1990 (0.63% of the world’s scientific production) to 32,100 in 2009 (2.69% of world production).

Raupp said that the World Forum is expected to accelerate the country’s race toward sustainable development. “Brazil is heading for a new economy whose prerequisites are competitiveness and sustainability. These are only reached through the intensive use of scientific knowledge and technology.”