Science

• [New] The World Health Organization will begin investigating the source of the novel coronavirus after its efforts to balance science and politics resulted in China blocking international efforts early in the pandemic.
• More than 60% of life sciences companies spent over $20 million on artificial intelligence initiatives last year, and more than half expected their AI spending to increase in 2020.
• More than 60% of life sciences companies say they spent over $20 million on AI initiatives last year, and more than half expect investments to increase in 2020.
• The UN was expected to launch its Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development in 2020.
• The UK Government Office for Science expects 100 billion connected IoT devices by 2020 generating 79.4 zettabytes (ZB) of data in 2025 and a global market value by 2020 estimated to be worth USD 14.4 trillion.
• As a key focus of NASA's Earth science research, ICESat-2 paves the way for scientific discoveries that will yield new data on the potential effects of a changing Earth.
• By 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States, China's strategic plan calls for it to be well on its way to becoming the unchallenged world leader in science, technology and innovation.
• The UAE's ambitious plan to build a city on Mars by 2117 was a strategic move to guarantee jobs to Emiratis in Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) for the next 100 years.
• The science-based targets were announced in March and cover the French multinational's Scope 1 and Scope 2 (power-related) emissions, with Chanel pledging to halve its emissions by 2030.
• Even with Sub-Saharan Africa having the smallest portion of older people, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs estimates a 10% increase in the number of older people (over 60 years of age) by 2030.
• The Emissions Gap Report of 2019 referred to by the United in Science report has said that the cuts in global emissions required per year from 2020 to 2030 are about 3% to meet the 2 degree C target and more than 7% per year on average to meet the 1.5 degree C goal under the Paris Agreement.
• Australia in 2020 saw record-breaking temperatures and drought that science tells us will become four times more likely if temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius as a result of human-made climate change.
• In the next decade, rapid advances in data science are expected to transform biomedical and behavioral research and lead to improved health for individuals and populations.
• Being one of the fastest-growing jobs on LinkedIn, data science is expected to create 11.5 million jobs by 2026.
• AI simulations will enable better decisions to be made in business, science, and government.
• The Decade will offer a unique opportunity for the private sector and science to work together to increase ocean knowledge and shape it into sustainable solutions for society's 21st Century challenges, from climate change to food security.
• NASA plans to send dozens of new instruments and technology experiments to study the Moon beginning next year, followed by human missions beginning in 2024 all as part of the Artemis program.
• Coal is the biggest single source of carbon emissions, with Climate Analytics, a climate science institute, calculating that holding global temperature rise to 1.5 °C will require global coal combustion to peak by 2020, fall by 80% below 2010 levels over the next decade, and end before 2040.
• Business voices are influential in policy debates, and companies must use their voices to advocate for targets and policies that will limit global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius and ensure we reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.
• The global pandemic was a mega-event disruption, a true game-changer which may happen again - and again - during the decade 2020-2030 until science and technology develop vaccines and ever faster responses to sars viruses.
• The Australian Government will invest $118.0 million to expand its data science capabilities, ensuring Australia remains at the forefront of the technological advancements in cyber security.
• Based on the most up to date science from the IPCC, Vancouver is now going further, targeting a carbon neutral region by 2050, with a shorter-term target of reducing GHG emissions by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030.

Last updated: 30 November 2020