Science, like any other human activity, often faces ethical dilemmas. While common in fields that conduct animal research, they can also arise in the so-called hard sciences. In the study of the climate and how human activity impacts temperature changes on Earth, scientists spend a lot of time thinking about mitigation strategies. But to what extent can we (research ways to) intervene, to reduce the consequences of our actions, when there is a risk that new harmful effects will be created?
As the results of global warming become an everyday reality, discussions are growing about a controversial line of research: solar geoengineering. While approximately 70% of the radiation emitted by the Sun is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere and surface, some is reflected back into space. Solar geoengineering seeks to increase how much is reflected, making the planet slightly cooler.
The idea was first floated in the 1960s, but studies remain limited to climate and environmental modeling. This issue’s cover story discusses the concept and addresses the resistance to experimental tests (page 12). And it raises a question: is it reasonable to fund research into techniques that, at best, only mitigate the effects of global warming, without addressing the causes?
Policies designed to tackle major societal challenges were one of the topics addressed at the Fifth National Conference on Science, Technology, and Innovation, held in Brasília from July 30 to August 1. The conference first took place in 1985, during Brazil’s “redemocratization” period. The aim of the consultative meeting is to gather suggestions and proposals to formulate a national STI plan for the next 10 years (page 34).
Elsewhere in public policy, there is positive news. A survey by Pesquisa FAPESP shows that childhood vaccination rates have started to rise again after falling between 2016 and 2021. The article on page 48 reports a considerable increase in the coverage of nine vaccines, although uptake for the 13 vaccines on the national immunization program for children up to 2 years of age have not yet returned to 2015 levels.
The topic of health, always featured in this magazine, also appears with a more worrying focus in this issue, alongside an encouraging achievement. There are articles covering the increase in the number of suicides by drug overdose in Brazil (page 52) and the first recorded deaths caused by the Oropouche virus (page 54); the good news is that the Butantan Institute’s dengue vaccine, now in the final phase of clinical trials, appears to offer strong protection against the disease (page 56).
The fact that mining causes social conflicts in Brazil is not news, especially in relation to land ownership and water access. The Mining Conflicts Observatory of Brazil, an initiative involving researchers from various institutions, social movements, and NGOs, compiled data on the issue in a recently published article (page 78). There is a risk that these conflicts will become more intense as the race heats up to exploit minerals critical to the energy transition and a low-carbon economy. Some of the challenges include attracting mining companies to new locations that are often difficult to access, and the high participation of smaller companies, which face less public scrutiny and more easily circumvent legislation.
Republish