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![\"Peru](\"http:\/\/www.revistahcsm.coc.fiocruz.br\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Guardian-300x180.jpeg\")
<\/a>People attend a candlelight vigil before the inauguration of this year\u2019s climate change conference in Lima, Peru. Photograph: Martin Mejia\/AP<\/p><\/div>\n
This year has seen a huge number of development challenges arise or worsen. The\u00a0Ebola outbreak in west Africa\u00a0still defies attempts at containment. A\u00a0new climate agreement is still in question\u00a0while global greenhouse gas emissions\u00a0rise\u00a0largely unchecked. Millions of people are facing a food crisis as\u00a0funding dries up\u00a0and\u00a0extreme weather events\u00a0disrupt farming. Theglobal economy is languishing, inequality is putting pressure on social and political systems, and ecosystems are under threat.<\/p>\n
Human activity has come to dominate many of the Earth\u2019s life-support systems, but are societies prepared to address these challenges? Are we even able to assess the risks they pose to our wellbeing? Science can play an important role, but research programmes must become more interconnected if we are to address today\u2019s\u00a0most pressing developing challenges\u00a0\u2013 from improving health, food security and access to clean energy and water, to understanding how demographic shifts affect our production and consumption patterns.<\/p>\n
What caused the Ebola outbreak?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhile much of the attention on\u00a0Ebola<\/a>\u00a0has been on containment and treating those affected, other research is trying to understand the root causes of the outbreak. The majority of known human infectious diseases are zoonotic \u2013 they are shared with animals. Human activities such as deforestation, agricultural expansion, and hunting and trade of wildlife can lead to increased opportunities for existing diseases to spread and for people to come into contact with novel diseases not yet spread to humans.<\/p>\nThe\u00a0ecoHEALTH<\/a>\u00a0project is researching the links between health, global change and socioecological systems, which can inform the fight against Ebola. By improving knowledge about the human drivers of disease emergence, researchers are focusing on proactive approaches to halt the spread of novel diseases to humans. They are also considering the economic impact of disease emergence, and the consequences for how we value biodiversity, so that we are better prepared to handle future outbreaks.<\/p>\nWaking up to climate change<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe\u00a0optimism surrounding UN climate talks that began this week<\/a>\u00a0is a positive sign, but progress has been limited largely because climate change is perceived as far-off, fiercely contested and highly inequitable in its effects and burdens. Science has an important role in bringing the risks into focus, reducing uncertainty and identifying who will be the winners and the losers.<\/p>\nScience also has a vital role in bringing timely data about the state of the climate into the public domain. The\u00a0Global Carbon Project<\/a>\u00a0works to develop a complete picture of carbon emissions and fixation. Every year, its researchers publish the latest thinking on carbon emissions in the\u00a0Global Carbon Budget<\/a>. The 2014 budget projects that carbon emissions will grow 2.5% this year, with China contributing 28% of emissions last year. Global emissions are on track to warm the planet by 3.2C-5.4\u00b0C by the end of the century; clear evidence for why policymakers need to take action quickly.<\/p>\nCreating crops that thrive<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nWe know that increasingly frequent extreme weather can wreak devastation when it occurs in socially and economically marginalised areas, where people\u2019s livelihoods cannot withstand the disruption. Recent studies by the\u00a0Cgiar research programme on climate change, agriculture and food security (CCAFS<\/a>) look at the interconnectedness of climate change and food production systems, combining climate modelling with social research techniques to better understand how the world\u2019s farmers can react to climate change.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor example, in India, CCAFS South Asia is\u00a0supporting a study<\/a>\u00a0that will equip genebanks with seeds that are \u201cclimate-ready\u201d. This means they have genetic resources that are resilient to climatic stresses such as severe heat or scarce water. Farmers in the drylands who depend on crops such as millet, chickpea and sorghum for their food and livelihoods will need seeds that can thrive in a harsher climate. Work like this shows how adapting to climate change and ensuring food security can be two sides of the same coin.<\/p>\nThe new Future Earth programme, which on Thursday launches\u00a0a report<\/a>\u00a0about research priorities for sustainable development, aims to coordinate research leading to actionable knowledge. Funders must be prepared to commit not only financially but also conceptually to a strategy for development in which evidence and engagement play a central role.<\/p>\nRead in HCS-Manguinhos:<\/p>\n
Fonseca, S\u00e9rgio de Mattos and Drummond, Jos\u00e9 Augusto.\u00a0Reflorestamento de manguezais e o valor de resgate para o seq\u00fcestro de carbono atmosf\u00e9rico<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos<\/i>, Dez 2003, vol.10, no.3, p.1071-1081. ISSN 0104-5970<\/p>\nRodas, Hilderman Cardona and Valencia, Mar\u00eda Fernanda V\u00e1squez.\u00a0Enfermedad deformante, degeneraci\u00f3n y clima en Colombia, 1880-1920<\/a><\/b>.\u00a0Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos<\/i>, Jun 2011, vol.18, no.2, p.303-320. ISSN 0104-5970<\/p>\nCaponi, Sandra.\u00a0Sobre la aclimataci\u00f3n<\/b>:\u00a0Boudin y la geograf\u00eda m\u00e9dica<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos<\/i>, Mar 2007, vol.14, no.1, p.13-38. ISSN 0104-5970<\/p>\n
The\u00a0ecoHEALTH<\/a>\u00a0project is researching the links between health, global change and socioecological systems, which can inform the fight against Ebola. By improving knowledge about the human drivers of disease emergence, researchers are focusing on proactive approaches to halt the spread of novel diseases to humans. They are also considering the economic impact of disease emergence, and the consequences for how we value biodiversity, so that we are better prepared to handle future outbreaks.<\/p>\n The\u00a0optimism surrounding UN climate talks that began this week<\/a>\u00a0is a positive sign, but progress has been limited largely because climate change is perceived as far-off, fiercely contested and highly inequitable in its effects and burdens. Science has an important role in bringing the risks into focus, reducing uncertainty and identifying who will be the winners and the losers.<\/p>\n Science also has a vital role in bringing timely data about the state of the climate into the public domain. The\u00a0Global Carbon Project<\/a>\u00a0works to develop a complete picture of carbon emissions and fixation. Every year, its researchers publish the latest thinking on carbon emissions in the\u00a0Global Carbon Budget<\/a>. The 2014 budget projects that carbon emissions will grow 2.5% this year, with China contributing 28% of emissions last year. Global emissions are on track to warm the planet by 3.2C-5.4\u00b0C by the end of the century; clear evidence for why policymakers need to take action quickly.<\/p>\n For example, in India, CCAFS South Asia is\u00a0supporting a study<\/a>\u00a0that will equip genebanks with seeds that are \u201cclimate-ready\u201d. This means they have genetic resources that are resilient to climatic stresses such as severe heat or scarce water. Farmers in the drylands who depend on crops such as millet, chickpea and sorghum for their food and livelihoods will need seeds that can thrive in a harsher climate. Work like this shows how adapting to climate change and ensuring food security can be two sides of the same coin.<\/p>\n The new Future Earth programme, which on Thursday launches\u00a0a report<\/a>\u00a0about research priorities for sustainable development, aims to coordinate research leading to actionable knowledge. Funders must be prepared to commit not only financially but also conceptually to a strategy for development in which evidence and engagement play a central role.<\/p>\n Read in HCS-Manguinhos:<\/p>\n Fonseca, S\u00e9rgio de Mattos and Drummond, Jos\u00e9 Augusto.\u00a0Reflorestamento de manguezais e o valor de resgate para o seq\u00fcestro de carbono atmosf\u00e9rico<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos<\/i>, Dez 2003, vol.10, no.3, p.1071-1081. ISSN 0104-5970<\/p>\n Rodas, Hilderman Cardona and Valencia, Mar\u00eda Fernanda V\u00e1squez.\u00a0Enfermedad deformante, degeneraci\u00f3n y clima en Colombia, 1880-1920<\/a><\/b>.\u00a0Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos<\/i>, Jun 2011, vol.18, no.2, p.303-320. ISSN 0104-5970<\/p>\n Caponi, Sandra.\u00a0Sobre la aclimataci\u00f3n<\/b>:\u00a0Boudin y la geograf\u00eda m\u00e9dica<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos<\/i>, Mar 2007, vol.14, no.1, p.13-38. ISSN 0104-5970<\/p>\nWaking up to climate change<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Creating crops that thrive<\/strong><\/h2>\n