Scientific and Technological Community
First Intersessional Meeting – Rio+20 – New York,
Statement on “new and emerging challenges” (10/01/2011)
Gisbert Glaser, International Council for Science (ICSU)
Mr. Chairman,
The Scientific and Technological Community would like to contribute to this
discussion on the Synthesis Report and we welcome the presentations by the
panelists. In the debate we have heard only a few references to the item “new
and emerging challenges”. Research communities across the globe would like
to draw attention to new scientific evidence indicating that human induced
global environmental change, including climate change and ecosystems
change, is occurring at an ever increasing rate and intensity. Given this
unprecedented situation, Rio+20 is a unique opportunity to agree on mitigation
and adaptation actions at a truly large scale to avoid dangerous consequences
for people worldwide and a possible cascading deterioration of the life support
systems on our planet.
The woefully insufficient implementation of the outcomes of previous summits
must be addressed by Rio+20 and the pace and scale of implementation must
be radically enhanced. Measures aimed at strengthening the environmental
pillar of sustainable development must be accompanied by much enhanced
measures aimed at bridging the development gap between North and South
and at reducing poverty.
Science and technology will together have crucial roles in finding solutions to
these interrelated economic, social and environmental problems. Three
examples of what needs to be done: First, as has been called for in the debate,
the science-policy links must be strengthened greatly. Second, unprecedented
challenges require novel, innovative responses. Engineers, as well as social and
natural scientists, need to develop and evaluate innovative technologies and
innovative social and economic responses, and their application in the “green
economy” must be accelerated.
Third, the scientific community needs stronger support for its efforts of
improving our capability to forecast tomorrow’s environmental conditions, also
at a regional scale, and their consequences for people and economies. To this
end, scientists, as well as decision-makers and managers need more and better
data. Governments should significantly increase support for national and global
observing systems and robust information and forecast services.
Thank you.
