TWAS Newsletter Vol. 21 No. 4

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Editorial: Raising the profile of science in the G20

(pages 2-4, 355 K): The "rise of the rest", as the renowned journalist Fareed Zakaria calls it, has profound implications not only for the "rest", but also for the United States, Europe, Japan and other rich countries and regions that are today's leaders in terms of wealth and scientific and technological capabilities.

Learning to grow

(pages 5-6, 236 K): Signs of growth in Africa have become increasingly common. Overall, the continent’s economy grew by more than 5% each year between 2002 and 2007. Equally encouraging, experts now believe that Africa’s economy will continue to grow in 2009 (by a modest 1.5%) despite the global financial crisis.

TWAS in South Africa

(pages 7-19, 1.3 M): The TWAS 20th General Meeting and 11th General Conference took place in Durban, South Africa, from 20 to 23 October 2009. The gathering, which included more than 300 scientists from 90 countries, was held within sight of the tropical coastline of the Indian ocean and at a major crossroads linking Africa, Asia and Europe.

Aiding Afghanistan through science

(pages 20-26, 365 K): A conference held this spring in Trieste, organized by TWAS within the framework of the G8 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, sought to find ways to set Afghanistan on a path towards poverty reduction and sustainable development. The consensus among the participants was this: it won’t be easy, but it can be done – in part by fostering robust regional cooperation in science and culture.

Migration and science

(pages 27-35, 383 K): Advances in science depend on the open migration of scientists. While such free movement benefits both science and scientists, science-poor countries continue to be hampered by the ‘brain drain’ phenomenon. Nevertheless, countries such as China and India have begun to reap the benefits of ‘brain circulation’, as highly skilled migrants return home and diaspora networks create valuable opportunities for the development of science and the economy.

Clearing the air in Delhi

(pages 36-43, 301 K): Delhi, covering a sprawling metropolitan area of some 17 million people, is one of India’s primary engines of growth. But the city’s growth has come at a cost. Sarath Guttikunda, a researcher at urban emissions.info in Delhi, explains what Delhi is doing to improve its air quality.

Building capacity for climate change

(pages 44-49, 268 K): As a prelude to the post-Kyoto climate change negotiations scheduled to take place in Copenhagen in December, TWAS and its partners organized a series of workshops earlier this year to provide the latest scientific information to negotiators from developing countries.

People, Places and Events

(pages 50-51, 175 K): Brief news about honours, appointments, awards and events.