STUDENT NAME  HARWINDER SINGH

BRANCH  BSC CHEMISTRY HONOURS

UID  20BSH7006
CONTACT NUMBER  9056471057
EMAIL ID  [email protected]

INTEGRATED APPROACH IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

(S&T) FOR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Introduction  Sustainable Development

As you all know, the reconciliation of society’s development goals with the planet’s
environmental limits over the long term is the foundation of the idea known as sustainable
development. This idea emerged in the early 1980s from scientific perspectives about the
interdependence of society and environment, and has since evolved along with the significant
advances in our understanding of this interdependence.

However, since the 1992 Rio Conference the political impetus that carried the ideas of
sustainable development so far and so quickly has increasingly seemed to distance itself from
its scientific and technological base. Some of us in the government are now attempting to
restore this base by mobilizing our technical agencies to address science, technology and
sustainable development in a more systematic manner, and to institutionalize this paradigm into
our long-term planning and program development.

Many of NGOs are, in fact, already operating on principles, on policies, and missions that have
their essential bases in S&T. But today, we want to persuade you of the commitment towards
science and technology as one essential piece of the development process.

The Role of S&T in Sustainable Development

What is development, generally speaking? It is trying to get a country in a position to full
participate in a globalizing world. That world, however, is essentially driven by technology.
Energy, medicine and health, clean air and water, transportation, sanitation, management use
and conservation of natural resources -- all are based ultimately in science and technology. So it
is obvious that to be a part of that world, there must be science and technology elements in the
development process.

I believe so passionately in the role that science and technology must play in foreign policy and,
also that science and technology (or, S&T) are vital parameters in the complex equation that
somehow has to equal sustainable development.
But let me take a minute to give my sense of what science is, and what it is not. Science is not
just the data and ‘facts’ themselves. Rather, science is the process of discovery and the
relentless pursuit of increased understanding through experimentation, data taking, conjecture
and modeling, and critical testing of the boundaries of knowledge – always seeking the true
facts. The rigor of the process, which is designed to ferret out the untrue and extraneous,
involves critical thinking and challenging and testing of assumptions, using techniques such as
publication and meetings which open work to the scrutiny and criticism of peers world-wide.

This is worth mentioning because science-based decision-making is a similar process – it uses

the best available information upon which to base an action, which, hopefully, will be in the right
direction. But like the science process, science-based decisions and the resulting actions should
to be continually reassessed based upon new information, which can be obtained by monitoring
key indicators.

Of course, science and technology alone are obviously not the sole answers -- and will never
be. While complete solutions to urgent problems of health, agriculture, food security, and clean
water, for example, might not always be available or practicable, development decisions made
in the absence or ignorance of the best S&T advice available will be highly risky affairs.

"What we most need to learn is that in the major scientific matters which now affect human
destiny, one cannot safely take decisions for today unless we realize that those same decisions
determine the future. This realization may not lead to the right decisions; but it might help to
obviate some of the worse (ones)."

We believe that sustainable development is only possible if national commitments are made to
build indigenous capacity for political good governance, open markets and free trade, and
scientific and technological institutions. As engines of modern societies, science and technology
are fundamental to the intelligent management and use of natural resources, environmental
stewardship and economic development -- in short -- they are essential to sustainability.

Complementing the tenets of good governance, and transparency and enforcement of

environmental agreements, I believe that science and technology and science-based decision-
making must be central .Ready availability of sound scientific information and advice is essential
for developing country decision-makers to make informed science-based choices that shape
national development strategies. Expanding access to science and technology information and
capacity into developing regions will similarly accelerate their paths to development and
prosperity in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Advances in agricultural biotechnology will be essential to raising developing world food

productivity in order to feed burgeoning populations. Application of new technologies will be
crucial to providing adequate and safe water supplies. Clean and renewable energy
technologies will be needed to ensure sufficient and sustainable energy supplies for the
developing world. Similarly, advances in biomedical science and technologies are critical if
developing countries are to overcome the daunting public health challenges posed by infectious
disease. These are just a small sampling of areas in which science and technology advances
can have enormous beneficial leverage.

Some advances, such as wireless communications and fuel cells for transportation or
distributed power -- can leapfrog older technologies -- and provide enormous advances at a
fraction of what spreading the older technologies might have cost.
I remember years ago speculating that there could never be enough copper in the world
to lay wires to the house of every citizen of India or China. Now one hardly needs copper
-- with wireless telephony and fiber optic cables.

Elements of an Effective S&T Strategy

A sufficient base for science and technology for sustainable development must be assembled
from a variety of key activities. We believe that an overall strategy to this end entails 5 specific
elements where science and technology are intimately involved. These are:

 Building Capacity for Sustainable Development

 Investing in Training the Next Generation
 Ensuring Access to Information
 Strengthening the Scientific Basis of Decision-Making
 Informing the Public

Let me elaborate briefly on each of these elements.

Building Capacity for Sustainable Development. This includes investment in the human

and institutional resources to understand the challenges to sustainable development. National
research capacity is needed to address national problems, to cooperate with the technical world
outside their countries, and to participate confidently in international negotiations on global
issues that impinge on development. Developing countries must also invest in science and
technology capacity building in their own citizens, to increase their self-reliance in charting their
own development path. The international community and donor countries also have a
responsibility to invest in these efforts. Global benefits arise from investments in shared
generation of knowledge and dissemination. The international community can identify ways to
strengthen key global programs, facilitate regional cooperation, and foster public-private
partnerships.

Investing in training the next generation. This is an imperative for all countries. Education
in mathematics, science and technology is crucial for the long term economic development of a
nation, and for the future of its scientific enterprise, encompassing sectors such as industry,
health, agriculture, civil infrastructure, and the researchers and technical workforce of the next
generation. The private sector has an interest in training workers for the skills needed in
particular industries. Companies also see benefit in helping to raise the level of technical
education in the communities in which they are located. They need a dependable pool of
qualified candidates for their workforce.

Ensuring access to information. Information can be made more readily accessible and

convenient to all users. The advent of global information networks linked electronically to
supplement commercial, academic, governmental and personal networks enables the widest
possible access to information. Further progress is needed on standardization and protocols for
data collection and reporting, in order to foster data sharing and comparability across
geographical and temporal borders. Scientific approaches to capture relevant indicators and
criteria of sustainable development should be developed. Emphasis on creating and sustaining
scientific databases, and creating appropriate arrangements for sharing such data, will be the
hallmark of this effort. Just last week there was a meeting on the digital divide here in New York.
We must bridge the digital divide!
Strengthening the scientific basis of decision-making. Many research themes related
to sustainable development are the focus of ongoing international research programs, with
mechanisms established to communicate findings to decision makers. Science needs to be
integrated into policy-making through establishment of regular channels for soliciting and
receiving scientific advice. We need better techniques for presenting findings: we need a shared
vocabulary, and we need a dialogue between policymakers and researchers regarding research
gaps. Science must not make decisions -- but decisions that ignore the scientific facts will be
very risky affairs.

Informing the public. One of the greatest challenges for sustainable development is the long
time horizon of both the problems and the solutions. Governments and policymakers must
support the communication of scientific findings to the public thereby enabling a dialogue. This
is perhaps the essence of good governance. Investment in informal education of the public
builds a populace that is scientifically more literate and environmentally aware. This will help
ensure political viability for sustainable development as a guiding principle for the extended
period of time needed for enlightened policies to bear fruit.

We should be committed to continue working with the international science community,

governments, foundations, voluntary organizations, and private sector towards this end.

But it is also essential to remember that even with great education and advice, it is essential to
have a secure flow of financial resources in order to advance solutions. There must be an
appropriate flow of investment that leads full circle to the importance of governance.

Concluding Thoughts, Observations

Achieving sustainability in development demands new knowledge, which science and
technology must provide. Research and innovation are essential to increasing our abilities to
deal with the sustainable development challenge. We need to understand a phenomenon and
its causes; assess impact, magnitude, time scale, and probability. We need to predict trends
and the effects of taking specific actions. We need to develop and test solutions; predict
outcomes and mitigate harm; and make informed policy decisions. The pursuit of technical
knowledge is an ongoing process; the knowledge base must be constantly renewed and
replenished. The biological and physical sciences and engineering must work closely with the
social and behavioral sciences to speed the application of innovations and insights to the needs
of society.

I am confident that advances in S&T can enable countries to increase the efficiency of resource
use and raise living standards necessary for global prosperity and long-term sustainability. We
should be committed to continue working vigorously towards this goal with all the relevant actors
in the process.