UNESCO calls for more investment in science before another health crisis strikes

Laboratory of the IBSAL Institute in Salamanca. // deset

During the day details UNESCO Science Report, which, according to this organization, “comes at a crucial moment, as we are close to halfway to an interview 2030 Sustainable Development Goals“.

Although the official presentation of the document will be this afternoon, UNESCO has already provided some key statements. Thus, it guarantees that Investing in science in the world by 19% Between 2014 and 2018 number of scientists slept 13,7 %. This trend was driven by a pandemic COVID-19This confirms the organism.

However, these numbers are hiding Big disparities: only two states, EE UU s ChinaIt accounts for nearly two-thirds of this increase (63%) while Four out of five countries They are far behind in investment Less than 1% of its GDP in scientific research. Thus, the scientific landscape remains a barometer of the power that nations wield.

Artificial intelligence and robotics have been a particularly dynamic field, according to the report, which notes that nearly 150,000 articles were published on these topics in 2019 alone.

The Artificial intelligence (IA) and robotic They have been particularly dynamic fields, according to the report’s progress, which notes that in 2019 alone nearly 150,000 articles were published on these topics.

In this sense, AI and robotics have spread to lower-middle-income countries, which contributed 25.3% of publications to this field in 2019, compared to only 12.8% in 2015. In the last five years, more than 30 countries have adopted specific strategiesIncluding China, the Russian Federation, the United States, India, Mauritius and Vietnam.

Little progress in sustainable energy

Other areas of research that are critical for the future are attracting significantly less investment. In 2019, for example, searching for Carbon capture and storage It only produced 2,500 articles, 60 times less than artificial intelligence. In fact, research on this topic is falling behind in six of the ten countries that lead research in this field (Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and the current leader, USA).

Similarly, the field of sustainable energy It is little explored, and accounts for only 2.5% of global publications in 2019. There is still a long way to go for science to contribute its full potential to sustainable development, UNESCO notes.

Vitality arrived Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the organization “A better science talent, This is less uneven and more collaborative and more open. Today’s challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, deteriorating ocean health, and epidemics are all global. That is why we must mobilize scientists and researchers from all over the world.”

Research on carbon capture and storage has produced only 2,500 articles, 60 times less than artificial intelligence

although International Scientific Cooperation Increased in the past five years, open access only applies to one in four publications. In addition, despite the massive collective momentum generated by the fight against COVID-19, there are many obstacles to open access to research in most parts of the world, the document notes.

For example, more than 70% of Publications remain greatly inaccessible for most researchers. The report documents efforts to break down these barriers, which are a source inequality e incompetence. The report highlights that “new paradigms must be developed for the circulation and dissemination of scientific knowledge in society.”

UNESCO has been working on this issue since 2019, when it began developing a global normative tool for open science. If approved at the organization’s next General Conference in November 2021, the recommendation will provide the international community with a common definition and framework for developing the transparent, inclusive and effective science the world needs.

Only a third of the researchers are women

The report also highlights The importance of diversity in science; The development of this critical discipline must include all of humanity. The report found that only a third of researchers in the world are a woman. While parity has been almost achieved in the life sciences, it is still far away in many sectors of increasing importance.

Women account for only 22% in the field of artificial intelligence, a problem that will affect the future

For example, women account for only 22% in artificial intelligence, which is a problem not only for today, but also for tomorrow, says the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “We can’t allow societal inequality be produced or expanded in the science of the future.”

The document encourages restoring citizens’ trust in science and notes that today’s research contributes to shaping tomorrow’s world, so it is essential to prioritize humanity’s common goal of sustainability through ambitious scientific policy.