According to you, what should be the main mission of science and research for the development of civilization and solving global problems in the 21st century?
Developing Cost effective, zero carbon-renewable technologies to minimize dependence on fossil fuels to limit global warming, as Climate change is affecting every country on every continent.
If no necessary action taken, the world’s average surface temperature is likely to surpass 3 degrees centigrade by the end of this century. The poorest and most vulnerable people, plants and animals (both terrestrial and aquatic) are being affected the most, which may even rendering earth a non-habitable place for most of the presently existing species.
Saving the endangered ecosystems like coral reefs, rain forests, etc
protecting the natural habitats of all flora and fauna
Finding/developing suitable plantation/trees for areas unfit for agricultural practices like coastal land, deserts, problematic (alkali or saline) soils to bring more area under tree cover.
Developing Real time weather warning alerts for local masses and improving the efficacy of weather forecasts in weather wise aberrant tropical regions (as the frequency of cases of life-losses from thunderstorms and lightning have increased in India in previous few years), and many more........................................
Oh my God, unfortunately this seems a very easy question to answer:
The main goal of all scientific research today and for the next decades must be to find a way to stop the ongoing speedy destruction of Earth's living Nature.
All other practical goals for the empirical sciences need to be set aiming at this urgent priority. I think there is no need, here among researchgate members at least, to explain why this is so urgent!
I also think that the key global problems concerning the whole globe and all humanity, problems that should be solved in the 21st century is the issue of limiting, slowing down the progressing global warming process. The solution to this problem is, in my opinion, one of the most important global problems that can be put in the mission of developing science in the 21st century.
The above discussion shows that the majority of the proposals for the main science mission for the 21st century are related to environmental protection, biodiversity, the introduction of necessary ecological reforms, the implementation of economic sustainable development principles in accordance with the concept of green economy, etc. I also agree with the above dominant opinion in this matter. The progressing global warming process is a great threat to life on Earth, including man. This threat will become globally real in a few decades if the temperature rise at the Earth's surface diagnosed by climatologists continues to progress faster. Therefore, in the next period max. For several years, there should be a total reduction and elimination of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. It is necessary to increase financial outlays from state budgets for the implementation of these pro-ecological reforms. These reforms should be carried out primarily in the energy sector and in other industry sectors responsible for environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Rapid development of electromobility, recycling, conversion of plastic into biodegradable materials, etc. is necessary. Many fields of science, many research projects commissioned and financed by national governments and by commercially operating technology corporations should be involved in creating eco-innovations. It is necessary to increase international cooperation and coordination in these activities because the problem is global.
Dear Colleagues and Friends from RG, In view of the above, you have provided interesting suggestions for defining key science development missions in the 21st century. I believe that all proposals for science development missions in the 21st century are important, interesting and should be implemented in various national and international research projects. The majority of proposals for key science development missions in the 21st century concern issues related to climate change, nature protection, biodiversity and the related implementation of the principles of sustainable pro-ecological economic development conducted according to the green economy philosophy. The discussion on the Research Gate portal shows that it is not yet possible to fully transform the classic economy into a green economy, because some pro-ecological technologies regarding e.g. renewable energy sources, recycling, reclamation of a degraded environment are not economically viable and financial subsidies from state public finances. However, nowadays more and more perfect and more economical pro-ecological technologies of next generations are emerging, so in the future, in the next years, the possibilities of implementing the principles of sustainable pro-ecological development in economic processes functioning in various sectors and branches of the economy will increase. In this way, the scope of possibilities for carrying out the system transformation of classical economics into economic processes carried out according to the green economy philosophy will increase. In connection with the above, the current visions and futurological concepts of the global economy based mostly on the green economy, currently not fully realistic, may become a reality in a dozen or so years. Let only humanity manage to transform this transformation of classical economics towards green economy before the global warming process, which is increasing faster and faster, will cause the average temperature at the Earth's surface to rise by min. 3-4 degrees C which will mean a strong increase in the scale and frequency of weather anomalies and climatic disasters, which will seriously hinder people's lives in a significant part of land areas. The current (end of August and beginning of September 2019) escalating and much larger than in previous years fires of the Amazon rainforests, forest fires in Australia, the Siberian Tundra and other places of the world is a serious SOS signal sent by Earth's nature towards man, a signal warning informing about the next exceeded level of imbalance in nature caused by the development of human civilization. In view of the above, ecological issues, including determinants of the possibility of implementing the principles of sustainable pro-ecological development, green economy, development of renewable energy sources, environmental protection, reclamation of the civilization-devastated environment, financing the creation of new ecological innovations, biodegradable plastic replacement materials, development of waste segregation technology and recycling, etc. these are important topics requiring continuation of scientific research in the 21st century. These topics should be one of the key missions for the development of science in the 21st century. Of course, apart from the sphere of ecology, there are many other important topics that you propose as key issues requiring the continuation of scientific research conducted by national or international research teams.
In this connection, I am asking you the following questions: - What other key issues require continuation of scientific research in the 21st century, which may be the basis for defining the mission to develop science?
- What kind of global problems should be solved with the help of science development, including conducted scientific research?
- Should the rank of scientific research on key topics related to improving the effective development of civilization increase?
- What kind of scientific discoveries should be made in the future, what kind of innovations should be created, in what direction should the development of scientific research in the future be conducted in order to increase the possibilities of solving key problems of humanity?
- Is the importance of international research projects led by international research teams coordinated and financed by globally operating organizations that carry out research to solve key problems of civilization development?
Protect our planet than being over effects of degradation and human population explosion which will require two more earth-like planets to accommodate all of us. Be more realistic in our future dreams to settle on moon and mars.