IN 1967 Britain's Royal Society convened a group of 36 British scientists and 44 more from Commonwealth nations for the first, and only, Conference of Commonwealth Scientists. Peter Blackett, then the society's president, said that 'any body like the Royal Society which is actively concerned with scientific development in the poor, underdeveloped countries, should look beyond science to the whole problem of development'. The meeting took an unpopular line against the Ministry of Overseas Development, and publicly disagreed with the United Nations' policies on universities in African nations.
Noble ideas they surely were, but the Royal Society's involvement with the Commonwealth faded away-until this week. The meeting has been reborn as the Commonwealth Science Conference, and this time the venue was Bangalore, in India. The Commonwealth is by now home to nearly a third of the world's population, and scientists are beginning to recognise its potential for global cooperation. Despite its diversity of race, religion, culture, climate and stages of development, members are bound-in theory, at least-by a common language, a shared history and a commitment to democracy.
What probably unites the countries more than any other topic is climate change. The Royal Society used the conference as an opportunity to launch its report ' Resilience to extreme weather'. The study finds that many societies are perilously unprepared for extreme weather. Maps show how demographic shifts, combined with a warming climate, will exacerbate exposure to climatic extremes such as floods, droughts and heatwaves: all this will put many Commonwealth countries in the firing line.
Paul Nurse, the society's current president, said the timing of the launch was no accident. The Commonwealth's diversity, he says, makes it a microcosm of the world, and thereby an ideal forum to develop a response. Its informal structure makes it agile and less prone to getting bogged down in the bureaucracy and politicking that holds back other international groups.
Delegates and speakers seemed keen for more assertive science diplomacy from the Commonwealth, especially those from member states at greatest risk. Harold Ramkissoon, chair of the science committee of CARICOM, a policy group representing 15 Caribbean nations, says the Commonwealth would give small nations like his native Trinidad and Tobago a more established and respected voice than groupings with a narrower demographic, such as the Alliance of Small Island States.
Again, noble intentions abound. But Arabinda Mitra from the Indian government's Department of Science and Technology bemoaned a lack of focus on policy at the conference. And ideological concerns can outweigh the science. Canada and Australia, two Commonwealth cornerstones, have patchy environmental records and powerful lobbies around the extractive industries. They would make strange bedfellows for Mauritius, with its 'Maurice Ile Durable' set of green targets, or indeed any of the small island nations that face the gravest dangers as climate change advances.
Kamalesh Sharma, secretary-general of the Commonwealth, said it had a great convening power, but it is a long way from providing a united front on the world stage. Bob Williamson, former secretary for science policy at Australia's Academy of Science, says that heads of state are unlikely to lend their weight to international agreements that threaten jobs at home, even if the science prescribes it.
Nevertheless, some hold out hope that the idea is not just hot air released for the benefit of the conference. For his part, Sir Paul is defiant, suggesting that the delegates are just at the beginning of what will be a long-term project. Giving heads of state access to the best scientific advice is the only way to create political consensus on issues like climate, he says, and the only way to tackle politicians ignoring the facts is to embarrass them. He suggested that the idea should not be judged until after the next Commonwealth Science Conference. Luckily, not as much time will pass between meetings this time; it is scheduled for the first half of 2017.
Entities 0 Name: Commonwealth Count: 9 1 Name: Royal Society Count: 4 2 Name: Australia Count: 2 3 Name: Commonwealth Science Conference Count: 2 4 Name: Canada Count: 1 5 Name: Arabinda Mitra Count: 1 6 Name: Harold Ramkissoon Count: 1 7 Name: CARICOM Count: 1 8 Name: United Nations Count: 1 9 Name: Ministry of Overseas Development Count: 1 10 Name: Commonwealth Scientists Count: 1 11 Name: Bangalore Count: 1 12 Name: Kamalesh Sharma Count: 1 13 Name: Small Island States Count: 1 14 Name: Mauritius Count: 1 15 Name: Trinidad and Tobago Count: 1 16 Name: Department of Science and Technology Count: 1 17 Name: African Count: 1 18 Name: Peter Blackett Count: 1 19 Name: Bob Williamson Count: 1 20 Name: Academy of Science Count: 1 21 Name: India Count: 1 22 Name: Britain Count: 1 23 Name: Paul Nurse Count: 1 24 Name: Paul Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1FlYoCH Title: Neither rain nor snow nor heat sways views on climate science Description: Think that people in upstate New York will more strongly believe climate change is upon us after an early November blizzard dumped 7 feet of snow, which then was turned to slush by spring-like temperatures? Think again.
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