What Tin Flaming Science, Applied Scientific Discipline Together With Excogitation Contribute To The Global Issues Today Such Equally Sustainable Evolution Goals?

H5N1 give-and-take at Science Agora 2016, Tokyo

“Agora” was traditionally the foursquare at the view of give-and-take in addition to civic participation of the Greek “polis”. “Science Agora” is the scream chosen for the leading yearly trial inwards Nippon most scientific discipline inwards society. Every twelvemonth since 2006, policymakers, scientists in addition to representatives of the productive sector cause got come upwards to Science Agora to engage Blue Planet on their activities in addition to results. Science Agora is too an occasion for scholars, policy makers in addition to stakeholders to utter over primal scientific discipline inwards monastic tell issues.

This year, the eleventh edition of Science Agora was held at Miraikan, the National Museum of Emerging Science in addition to Innovation in addition to the other institutions at Odaiba area, Tokyo. The trial ran from 3-6 November, amongst almost 10,000 participants tending in addition to 176 organizations contributing to a rich program.

The kicking off session, organized past times Nippon Science in addition to Technology Agency (JST), asked “What tin move Science, Technology in addition to Innovation Contribute to the Global Issues Today such equally Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) We cause got to Cope with?”.

Michinari Hamaguchi, President of JST, in addition to the other speakers of the session. Photo: courtesy of JST

After a welcome address past times Michinari Hamaguchi, President of JST, Satoru Ohtake (JST in addition to Cabinet Office ESRI) outlined the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” approved past times United Nations General Assembly inwards 2015 in addition to its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, remarking that “all such goals require the contribution of science, technology scientific discipline in addition to innovation”. He in addition to thence invited panelists to part their views on the theme, focusing on options, strategies in addition to potential problems inwards achieving goals in addition to roadmaps for concerted activity at the international level. He too asked commentators to address “what scientific discipline tin move exercise to confront primal challenges”.

As co-chair of the session, I made an introductory comment on society’s in addition to citizen’s expectations towards science. By presenting survey information from the Italian Science inwards Society Monitor, I argued that the stereotype of monastic tell alone looking to scientific discipline for solving practical problems needs to live on revised. Citizens too expression to scientific discipline equally a source of culture, “answers to Mankind’s neat questions”, fifty-fifty entertainment. Reducing scientific discipline to a “machine” - fiscal resources equally input in addition to practical solutions equally output - tin move Pb to farfetched expectations that tin move eventually backlash against science, its actors in addition to institutions. Recognizing scientific discipline equally utilization of contemporary culture, amongst an opened upwards withal critical appraisal of what scientific discipline tin move in addition to cannot do, tin move too help constitute its utilization inwards the context of primal challenges.

David Cope (Cambridge University in addition to RCAST, University of Tokyo), presented inwards exceptional the 169 targets associated amongst the full general goals of SDGs. He emphasized the importance of targets inwards the expanse of health, in addition to “capacity building” equally ane of the primal chemical factor to confront such challenges. We non alone demand research, only too to “make surely at that topographic point is a novel cohort, or continuing cohort of immature scientists, engineers, journalists who operate out to disseminate research”; “quality education” beingness ane of the SDGs.

Rush D. Holt, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), noted that despite discussions at the international level, “most scientists cause got non given much thought” to these themes. He emphasized that this is an chance to present that scientific discipline is relevant to, in addition to at to the lowest degree implicitly embedded in, whatsoever unmarried SDGs . He too described the sustainability goals equally an chance to communicate that “science is a systematic agency of bespeak questions thence that tin move live on answered amongst evidence, in addition to such evidence tin move live on communicated openly”.

By showing successful examples both from Nippon in addition to from the international context, such equally inwards the expanse of environmental protection, Tateo Arimoto (Professor at National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in addition to JST), stated that “we tin move transform our monastic tell past times combination of technology scientific discipline conception in addition to social innovation”.

Describing the degree of awareness of these challenges inwards South Africa in addition to the demand for inclusion of unlike social groups, Michael Ellis (Science Communication Manager, South African Agency for Science in addition to Technology Advancement, South Africa) mentioned the trial of the Square Kilometre Array Telescope, a global partnership to ready the world’s large telescope inwards South Africa in addition to Commonwealth of Australia in addition to the importance of local communities “getting on board” such projects.

Rosa Paula Cuevas (Scientist, Grain Quality in addition to Nutrition Center, International Rice Research Institute, Philippines), Nuwong Chollacoop (Head of Renewable Energy Laboratory, MTEC, Thailand) in addition to Shoji Komai (Professor, Nara Institute of Science in addition to Technology) pointed out the unlike challenges posed past times unlike enquiry fields in addition to globe regions. Leading the give-and-take amongst the audience, I too emphasized this betoken past times remarking the importance of matching global challenges amongst an agreement of the multifariousness of social in addition to cultural contexts, rather than expecting to notice homogenous, standardized responses.

Rounding upwards the session, Satoru Ohtake expressed the intention to brand this occasion alone the root pace inwards a continuing international discussion, in addition to looked frontward to opportunities inwards the context of futurity international meetings such equally the Science Forum South Africa (SFSA), AAAS Annual Meetings, EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) in addition to the World Science Forum (WSF).

Massimiano Bucchi, University of Trento. Editor, Public Understanding of Science