WASHINGTON – A joint communique was issued by many science academies of the G20 nations urging their governments to take a range of actions to support clean energy, strengthen universal and holistic health, and build stronger connections between science and society.
 
The three statements were delivered to their governments and released in advance of the G20 summit, which will be held in September in New Delhi.  

Clean energy for a greener future. Given the urgency of the global climate challenge, the pace of the transition to clean energy needs to be greatly accelerated, the statement says. It urges the G20 member states to strengthen their collaboration to accelerate the clean energy transition in line with the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement while also advancing a sustainable, inclusive, green, and just transition. For example:

• for technologies requiring further development or those that are in the pre-commercial stage, the G20 member states should aim to strengthen cooperation through joint R&D projects, shared sponsorship of long-term innovation programs, and the development of policy regimes that incentivize investment in clean energy R&D.
• for mature and commercially competitive technologies, the G20 member states should cooperate to accelerate deployment through pilot projects, sharing of effective practices on policy designs for specific technologies, and encouraging financial and technology flows.

Universal and holistic health. Increasing the healthy life expectancy of all, while promoting well-being across the whole life course, are key objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the statement notes. It urges the G20 member states to strengthen collaborations in a number of key areas, including to:  

• bolster surveillance and prediction systems that monitor wildlife, veterinary populations, and human communities in order to enable early detection and the prediction of emerging and re-emerging pathogens with pandemic potential.
• undertake joint actions to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
• expand joint efforts on mental health with an emphasis on community-centered, primary healthcare-led, and tele-health-supported services.

Connecting science and society with culture. The science academies stress the importance of enhancing positive linkages between science and society and culture – both to leverage science and technology in ways that help preserve cultural heritage and diversity rather than erode them, and to manage emerging technologies in ways that have positive impacts on society rather than harmful ones. The statement urges the G20 governments to take two specific sets of collaborative actions, cooperating to:  

• promote digital technologies for protection, preservation, and reproduction of heritage. This includes, for example, digitally documenting and preserving historical sites and artifacts.
• bring together experts from governments, international organizations, academia, and civil society from across the G20 to provide inputs to guidelines for responsible, just, equitable, safe, and sustainable use of emerging technologies (for example, generative AI, gene editing, and solar geoengineering).

The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, engineering, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln. 

Contact:
Natalie Shanklin, Senior Membership & Communications Associate
202 -334-1906; e-mail NShanklin@nas.edu