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| UNESCO report calls for substantial increases in investment in science in the face of growing crises |
| Author: isi网站管理员-刘成 Source: Updated: 2021-06-17 |
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Spending on science worldwide increased (+19%) between 2014 and 2018, as did the number of scientists (+13.7%). This trend has been further boosted by the COVID crisis, according to UNESCO’s new Science Report, The Race against Time for Smarter Development.
But, these figures hide significant disparities: just two countries, the United States and China, account for nearly two-thirds of this increase (63%) while four out of five countries lag far behind, investing less than 1% of their GDP in scientific research. The scientific landscape thus remains largely a landscape of power.
Published every five years, the new report provides an overview of science and science policy.
Artificial intelligence and robotics are particularly dynamic fields, according to the report which notes that almost 150,000 articles were published on these subjects in 2019 alone. Research in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics has surged in lower middle-income countries, which contributed 25.3% of publications in this field in 2019, compared to only 12.8% in 2015. Over the past five years, more than 30 countries have adopted specific strategies, among them China, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, India, Mauritius and Vietnam.
Other fields of research that are crucial for our future attract significantly lower investments. In 2019 for example, research into carbon capture and storage, only generated 2,500 articles, 60 times fewer than artificial intelligence. Research on the subject is actually declining in six of the ten countries leading research in this field (Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the current leader, the United States). Similarly, the field of sustainable energy remains under-explored, representing only 2.5% of global publications in 2019.
There is a long way to go before science contributes its full potential to sustainable development.
The world must focus on providing science with the tools it needs.
Better-endowed science is indispensable. Science must become less unequal, more cooperative and more open. Today’s challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, decline of ocean health and pandemics are all global. This is why we must mobilize scientists and researchers from all over the world.
—— Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General
Although international scientific cooperation has increased over the last five years, open access still only applies to one publication in four. Moreover, despite the tremendous collective momentum generated by the fight against COVID-19, many obstacles stand in the way of open access to research in much of the world.
For example, more than 70% of publications remain largely inaccessible to the majority of researchers. The report documents efforts to break down these barriers, which are sources of both inequality and inefficiency. New models for the circulation and dissemination of scientific knowledge in society must be implemented.
UNESCO has been working on this since 2019, when it began preparing a global standard-setting instrument for open science. If adopted at the Organization’s next General Conference in November 2021, the Recommendation will provide the international community with a shared definition and framework in which to develop the transparent, inclusive and effective science the world needs.
The report also underscores the importance of diversity in science; the development of this critical discipline must involve the whole of humanity. It finds that only one third of researchers in the world are women. While parity has almost been achieved in the life sciences, it is still a long way off in many sectors of growing importance. For example, women represent only 22% of the workforce in the field of artificial intelligence. This is a problem not only for today, but also for tomorrow. We cannot allow the inequalities of society be reproduced, or amplified, by the science of the future.
Science must unite all of humanity to face the challenges of today and tomorrow. The report urges the restoration of public confidence in science, and reminds us that today’s science contributes to shaping the world of tomorrow, which is why it is essential to prioritize humanity's common goal of sustainability through ambitious science policy.
About UNESCO’s Science Report
Every five years, the UNESCO Science Report provides an update of trends in science governance. Written by 70 authors from 52 countries, it aggregates data on spending, personnel, scientific publications and patents. The latest edition tracks progress towards the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the rapid progress of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It also tracks the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global research and innovation.
The UNESCO Science Report is made possible through the generous support of the Fondation Ipsen.
More information:
(Source: UNESCO) 教科文组织报告呼吁在日渐增多的危机面前增加对科学的投资
联合国教科文组织6月11日发布最新版科学报告《争分夺秒，实现更智能的发展》。报告显示，2014年至2018年间，全球在科学领域的投入上涨了19%，科研人员数量也增长了13.7%，新冠危机继续推升了这一趋势。
但是，这些数字后背隐藏着显著的不均衡：仅中美两国已占这一增量的近三分之二（63%），而五分之四的国家仍然远远落后，其对科学研究的投资占GDP比重不足1%。因此，科学领域的格局在很大程度上仍然是国力格局。
教科文组织每5年发布一版科学报告，提供全球科学和科学政策的全貌。
根据最新报告，人工智能和机器人技术领域显现出极强活力，仅2019年就有超过15万篇文章发表。中低收入国家相关研究激增，贡献了2019年出版量的25.3%，而2015年仅为12.8%。在过去5年里，30 多个国家出台了关于该领域的具体战略，其中包括中国、俄罗斯、美国、印度、毛里求斯和越南。
相对而言，其它对未来至关重要的研究领域吸引的投入明显减少。以2019年为例，碳捕获和碳封存研究仅产出2500篇文章，仅人工智能的六十分之一。在该领域领先的10个国家中，有6个国家（加拿大、法国、德国、荷兰、挪威和目前的领跑者美国）对该主题的研究正在下降。同样，可持续能源仍未得到充分探索，仅占2019年全球出版量的2.5%。
要挖掘科学推动可持续发展的全部潜力，我们还有很长的路要走。
努力为科学提供必需的工具至关重要。
更加昌明的科学必不可少。我们需要降低科学中的不平等，强化科研合作，使科学更为开放。诸如气候变化、生物多样性丧失、海洋健康状况下降和流行病等当前挑战都是全球性问题，因此我们应该动员世界各地的科学家和研究人员共同应对。
——奥德蕾·阿祖莱（Audrey Azoulay，联合国教科文组织总干事）
虽然国际科学合作在过去5年中有所进步，但仍仅涉及全球出版量的四分之一。此外，尽管与新冠病毒的斗争催生了巨大的集体驱动力，但全球大部分地区的研究合作还面临许多障碍。
例如：超过70%的出版物仍仅面向少部分研究人员开放。这些障碍是不公平和低效率的缘由，报告记录了为消除这些障碍所做的努力。科学知识的流通和传播需要新的模式。
这也正是教科文组织正在开展的工作。教科文组织自2019年开始着手制定一份关于开放科学的全球性规范文书。若该建议书于下一届大会（2021年11月）获得通过，将为国际社会提供共享的定义和框架，以发展全世界所需要的，透明、包容和高效的科学。
报告还强调了科学领域的多样化的重要性。这一关键领域必须让全人类参与其发展。报告发现，全球科研人员中仅三分之一是女性。虽然在生命科学领域几乎已实现了性别占比均衡，但在众多新兴领域，性别平等仍很遥远。譬如人工智能领域，其劳动力中女性仅占22%。无论是为了现在还是未来，这都是一个需要解决的问题。我们不能容许未来的科学复制现实社会中的不平等。
科学确需将全人类团结起来，共同面对当今和未来的挑战。报告呼吁恢复公众对科学的信心，科普将是极为重要的实现途径。
报告提醒大家，今天的科学有助于塑造明天的世界，这就是为何必须通过雄心勃勃的科学政策，优先关注人类可持续发展的共同目标。 |
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