2 / 2022 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS 5
erlin : Academies present four statements protection / Science-based recommendations on key topics of the G7 summit
The recommendations of the academies for antivirals and the One Health approach were presented by virologist Sandra Ciesek and Thomas Mettenleiter ML , virologist and President of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut .
The leadership of the deliberations of the academies of the G7 changes each year . The President of the Science Council of Japan and Nobel Laureate Takaaki Kajita gave a preliminary outline of the S7 process under the Japanese G7 Presidency in 2023 . Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro , President of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences , which is in charge this year , reported on this year ’ s S20 process .
The President of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences , Anatoly Zagorodny , also took part in the discussion . The physicist expressed his gratitude for the great support granted to the Ukrainian Academy and to his country ’ s scientists .
■ KK , CHW
The key topics of the Science7 statements for the G7 summit 2022 in Germany are the effects of climate change on the polar regions and the ocean , international action for decarbonisation , the development of antivirals for the purpose of pandemic preparedness and the need for a One Health approach to combat zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance .
O cean and cryosphere are the most efficient early warning systems for climate change . Ice loss has accelerated sharply in both Antarctica and Greenland . The rate of sea level rise has more than doubled in the past two decades . Faced with these dramatic developments , the G7 science academies are calling for a substantive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions , global protection of marine ecosystems and the development of a digital earth observation and forecasting system .
Decarbonisation is a central element in achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement . To accelerate the transition to a world with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions , the academies of the G7 are calling for a carbon-neutral and resilient energy system , reinforced international cooperation to achieve a just global energy transition based on the introduction of a trading system for renewable energy and the introduction of global carbon pricing .
Wide availability of antiviral drugs to be used in addition to prophylactic vaccines in the event of a pandemic is a key aspect of effective pandemic preparedness . The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the world is insufficiently prepared for pandemics and urgent action is needed to develop new antiviral drugs . The science academies of the G7 states call for greater promotion of the development of specific and broad-spectrum antiviral drugs through the establishment of longterm funding mechanisms and improved coordination of international activities in the field of pandemic preparedness .
The continuing destruction of ecosystems around the world favours the emergence of pathogens of animal origin in humans and vice versa . At the same time , antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents are becoming less effective due to increased resistance . The science academies of the G7 states recommend specific actions to implement the One Health approach globally . The One Health approach is holistic and interdisciplinary and is based on the premise that the health of humans , animals , plants and the wider environment are inextricably linked .
■ KK , CHW
Science7 Statements