Academies Call for Action to Strengthen Global Disaster Resilience and more

“G-Science” Academies Call for Action to Strengthen Global Disaster Resilience, Understand and Protect the Brain, and Nurture Future Scientists

WASHINGTON – The science academies of the G7 countries and seven additional academies issued three joint statements to their respective governments to inform discussions during the G7 summit to be held in May in Japan, as well as ongoing policymaking. The “G-Science” statements — on brain science, disaster resilience, and nurturing future scientists — were drawn up by the academies under the aegis of the Science Council of Japan. The participants were academies from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the regional African Academy of Sciences.

The academies called for strategies to understand and protect the brain, strengthen global resilience to disasters, and develop future generations of scientists.

Understanding, Protecting, and Developing Global Brain Resources

Noting that the human brain is civilization’s most precious resource, the academies’ first statement proposes four objectives to be pursued in parallel: 1) fundamental research with international collaboration; 2) global programs for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of brain disorders; 3) theoretical modeling of the brain and the development of brain-based artificial intelligence (AI); and 4) integration of neuroscience with the social and behavioral sciences to improve education and life management as components of a brain-aware society.

Strengthening Disaster Resilience

Losses due to disasters are increasing in both developed and developing countries; between 2005 and 2014, more than 6,000 natural and technological disasters around the world killed more than 800,000 people, displaced millions more, and cost more than 1 trillion USD. The academies’ second statement recommends six actions to increase resilience: 1) develop metrics and indicators for evaluating exposure, vulnerability, and resilience; 2) advance scientific and technical knowledge and improve assessment of disaster risk, including building relevant data infrastructure; 3) improve understanding of natural and human-made hazards by developing new technologies and applying effective and innovative engineering for disaster prevention; 4) strengthen inter-and transdisciplinary collaborative efforts in cooperation through a major international research platform; 5) engage the investor community; and 6) promote the sharing of information.

Nurturing Future Scientists

Given how heavily society depends upon science-based discovery, technology, and policies, how can nations best develop future generations of scientists? The academies’ third statement makes recommendations in eight areas – science education, career development, scientists’ assessment, public communication, resource for policy, women and minority groups, scientific capacity, and access to scientific information — designed to connect scientists and society and to create a diverse global workforce.

The science academies of the G7 nations, usually joined by several other invited academies, have been supporting the summit meeting of their heads of state and government, and other governments, for over a decade. They consider pressing issues that are related to the agenda of the summit, but that go beyond it in scope and that need to be addressed by individual countries around the world and multilaterally.