Research priorities

The heads of the national science academies of 15 countries, including the UK, US, Russia, China and German, have urged governments to focus on three ‘global dilemmas’: the growing demand for water and energy, natural disasters and measuring carbon dioxide. The scientific bodies signed statements that were delivered to G8 leaders ahead of a meeting of the world’s biggest industrialised nations. They recommend that governments should prioritise research in the three areas identified and work with scientists to develop ways of solving the problems. They also recommend that data on water and energy in particular be opened up, so that they can be used to develop policy.