Urgent need for climate protection, energy transition and pandemic preparedness say G7 science academies in statements ahead of summit

Four statements from the science academies of the G7 make recommendations for urgent action to decarbonise electricity generation, protect the oceans and cryosphere, and improve preparedness for future pandemics.

They were jointly developed under the leadership of the German Leopoldina and were submitted to the German federal government at the Science7 Dialogue Forum 2022 in Berlin.

The four topics are interlinked and each considers the Earth system as a whole, they are summarised as: 

Urgent need for coordinated measures to protect the ocean and the cryosphere

Faced with these dramatic ice loss, ocean acidification and sea level rise, the G7 science academies are calling for a substantive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, global protection of marine ecosystems as well as enhanced international scientific cooperation and data sharing for an Earth observation and forecasting system based on high performance computing.

Achieving climate neutrality by accelerating decarbonisation

To achieve climate neutrality by 2050 or earlier, the G7 science academies recommend building a carbon neutral and resilient energy system, and the introduction of an international trading system for renewable energy and a global CO2 pricing mechanism. 

Development of antiviral drugs for increased pandemic preparedness

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that the world is insufficiently prepared for pandemics. The G7 science academies therefore call for long-term support for the development of specific and broad-spectrum antiviral drugs, an international coordination body for clinical studies and improved international coordination in the field of pandemic preparedness.

A One Health approach to zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance

To address complex problems of human pathogens emerging from animal populations, and the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) making existing antibiotics ineffective the G7 science academies recommend a One Health approach to the interlinked health of humans, animals, plants and the wider. This should include the use of new digital technologies for effective surveillance of zoonoses and AMR and research and development on One Health models.

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