Open AccessMultiple intertwined crises facing humanity necessitate a European Environmental Research Organization
Author(s) -
Timmis Kenneth,
Verstraete Willy
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/1751-7915.14054
Subject(s) - humanity , environmental planning , best practice , planetary boundaries , environmental ethics , environmental resource management , environmental change , business , political science , engineering ethics , climate change , public relations , ecology , biology , sustainability , engineering , geography , law , economics , philosophy
The planet is experiencing all manner of environmental crises, and crises that have their origins in the environment, including global warming, pollution of the air, soil, marine systems and freshwater, loss of habitats and species extinctions, transmission of deadly animal infections to humans, the spread of antimicrobial resistance, to name just a few. Planetary boundaries are being successively breached. Devising and implementing optimal solution and mitigation strategies urgently requires the best possible scientific brains to be harnessed and focused on environmental crises. It is imperative to establish authoritative leadership and the intellectual and organisational framework for this: a European Environmental Research Organisation, modelled on the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and Laboratory (EMBL), whose mission is to carry out pioneering research on environmental crisis‐relevant topics, communicate its findings and recommendations to governments, their agencies, the general public, business and other stakeholders, and create outstanding research leaders to populate the best institutions worldwide – a global network of top scientists working together to understand the causes and nature of crises and to devise effective solutions.