Publications

ALLEA acknowledges the challenges that European and global research collaborations face in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment. Within this shifting landscape, it is crucial to reaffirm the principles of openness, integrity, and freedom of scientific research for a responsible internationalisation. These principles, which form the core of both ALLEA’s mission and scientific progress in general, must be safeguarded even as legitimate concerns on research security are addressed.  

This statement is directed to policymakers, research funders, and academic institutions across Europe and beyond, and serves to inform the ongoing dialogue on research collaboration and security. It aims at contributing to a “European way”, projecting a distinctly European perspective into national and global debates for sustainable and secure partnerships.

A group of leading scientists nominated by academies has provided advice to the
European Commission about solar radiation modification technologies through the
Scientific Advice Mechanism. This advice underscores that solar radiation
modification technologies are not yet mature and deploying them could have
many effects, both intended and unintended.

Human health, animal health, plant health and the health of our environment are deeply connected, forming a single common system. Policymakers need to recognise these connections, and do more to seek optimal outcomes for people, animals, the environment, and the ecosystems that we are all part of, rather than taking a narrow anthropocentric view.

This integrated approach is known as ‘One Health’. There is strong scientific evidence for the connections themselves, and for the benefits of applying a One Health approach to policymaking in all the areas affected, from health systems and food production and safety, to zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, neglected infectious tropical diseases and the environment.

In a statement published in the context of International Open Access Week 2024, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) expresses its strong support for Secondary Publication Rights (SPRs), a legal mechanism that allows researchers to freely share publicly funded scholarly articles via institutional or other non-profit repositories. ALLEA, a longtime advocate for equitable Open Access (OA) publishing, welcomes the introduction of SPRs in several European countries and calls for EU-wide harmonisation to standardise these rights and improve their effectiveness.

The Council of Finnish Academies (CoFA) and the Finnish Academy of Technical Sciences (TTA) successfully hosted the annual CAETS conference from July 1 to July 4, 2024. The conference, themed Carbon Neutral Technologies and Society, brought together the world’s leading engineering and technological science academies to discuss the prerequisites and technical solutions for achieving a carbon-neutral society. The conference emphasized the need for systemic thinking and innovative solutions to address new challenges and achieve a just transition to net-zero emissions.

Systemic failures are driving rapid growth in production, consumption and leakage of plastics in the marine, terrestrial and freshwater environments, shows a new EASAC Commentary. The summary of the latest scientific evidence aims to inform negotiations of a much-needed International Plastics Treaty. With current policies, global plastic waste is expected to nearly triple by 2060.

Europe must change its food consuming in order to reach its goals for health and sustainability. The SAPEA report recommends a range of evidence-based measures for promoting healthy and sustainable food choices.

Despite greenhouse gas mitigating technologies, emissions are still growing worldwide. CAETS’ energy report suggests reducing emissions through the electrification of energy and mass scale implementation of existing technologies