Entering the Century of the Environment: A New Social Contract for Science

TLDR

Human impacts on ecological systems are increasingly evident, linking environment to health, economy, justice, and security, while the definition of “environment” rapidly evolves. The paper calls for a new social contract that redefines scientists’ responsibilities amid urgent environmental and social changes. The contract commits scientists to focus on the most pressing problems, allocating their expertise proportionally to importance, while advancing fundamental research, accelerating knowledge transfer to policymakers, and improving public communication, all supported by public funding.

Abstract

As the magnitude of human impacts on the ecological systems of the planet becomes apparent, there is increased realization of the intimate connections between these systems and human health, the economy, social justice, and national security. The concept of what constitutes “the environment” is changing rapidly. Urgent and unprecedented environmental and social changes challenge scientists to define a new social contract. This contract represents a commitment on the part of all scientists to devote their energies and talents to the most pressing problems of the day, in proportion to their importance, in exchange for public funding. The new and unmet needs of society include more comprehensive information, understanding, and technologies for society to move toward a more sustainable biosphere—one which is ecologically sound, economically feasible, and socially just. New fundamental research, faster and more effective transmission of new and existing knowledge to policy- and decision-makers, and better communication of this knowledge to the public will all be required to meet this challenge.