Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
probably will continue to depend on coal to a great extent, and the sequestering of
CO
2
will remain a problem in need of a solution.
In recent years, the long neglected development of vaccine for infectious disease
is finally picking up some momentum with international efforts. The race lies be-
tween the perfection of H
5
N
1
vaccine and the mutation of H
5
N
1
virus, which initiate
the transmission from people to people. More research works need to be carried out
in this area. However, we do have to pay attention to the fact that in the past, the
funds spent for medical research globally has only been targeted at problems related
to 10 % of the population. It is quite obvious that if we do not pay more attention to
the deteriorating situation in developing countries, there is no way we can combat
infectious decease effectively.
3
The St James's Palace Memorandum
In May 2009, after the St James's Palace Symposium of Nobel Laureates in Lon-
don, a memorandum was issued which calls for “Action for a Low Carbon and
Equitable Future”, with the following content.
The St James's Palace Memorandum calls for a global deal on climate change that matches
the scale and urgency of the human, ecological and economic crises facing the world today.
It urges governments at all levels, as well as the scientific community, to join with business
and civil Society to seize hold of this historic opportunity to transform our carbon-intensive
economies into sustainable and equitable systems. We must recognize the fierce urgency
of now.
3.1
The Fierce Urgency of Now
Climate risk avoidance, energy security, sustainable land use, population growth
and equitable economic development constitute a key set of interacting challenges
for humankind in the twenty-first century. The evidence is increasingly compelling
for the range and scale of climate impacts that must be avoided, such as droughts,
sea level rise and flooding, leading to mass migration and conflict. The robust sci-
entific process, by which this evidence has been gathered, should be used as a clear
mandate to accelerate the actions that need to be taken. Political leaders cannot pos-
sibly ask for a more robust, evidence-based call for action.
In a time of financial and economic crisis, the participants of the St James's
Palace Symposium emphasize that without directing current economic recovery re-
sources wisely, and embarking on a path towards a low carbon economy, the world
will have lost the opportunity to meet the global sustainability challenge. Decarbon-
ising our economy offers a multitude of benefits, from addressing energy security to
stimulating unprecedented technological innovation. A zero carbon economy is an
ultimate necessity and must be seriously explored
now
.
