Correspondence

Plan S to hit delegates are no longer simply environmental licences and as fair to be acceptable, which societies hard observers: they can now bring a loosening environmental is more likely if they protect wide range of research voices to regulations. The newly appointed the environment and future Plan S is good news (Nature the table. minister of agriculture has generations. Such psychological 561, 17–18; 2018). As we move As knowledge producers, called for measures such as the motives are rarely considered in towards this subscription-free climate delegates from research ‘pesticide package’ (bill number economic models and in public publishing model for 2020, the institutions are in a position to 6.299/2002), which would and policy debates. enormous costs that institutions provide insight into and attention weaken the criteria for pesticide More interdisciplinary pay to access the scientific to climate policy. The UCDC approval — despite the concerns research into the causes of literature will gradually be aims to engage delegates across of United Nations rapporteurs traffic problems is necessary phased out. However, this could US institutions on common Hilal Elver (on the right to food) for designing socially feasible adversely affect the activities of initiatives. Over several months, and Baskut Tuncak (on toxins). policy solutions. For example, academic societies that run their researchers talk to their delegate And, in a further blow to public support could be grown own journals. representatives about their biodiversity, Bolsonaro has by communicating the extent to These societies currently use priorities for climate-related promised to open up the which such schemes would meet income from subscription fees to policy topics — for example, for Amazon for agribusiness, with their objectives and how drivers host affordable conferences, run emissions inventories, technology no indication that he intends to would benefit. workshops, award travel grants, transfer, ecosystem management support traditional communities. Geertje Schuitema University develop policy and engage in and human rights. Marina Demaria Venâncio College Dublin, Ireland. outreach. As publication charges University delegations Federal University of Santa Linda Steg University of for authors replace subscription therefore provide an opportunity Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil. Groningen, the Netherlands. fees, this income will plummet. for the broader research Kamila Pope, Stefan Sieber [email protected] Funding bodies might need to community to connect with Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural step in to make up the shortfall international climate negotiations Landscape Research, for supporting these services to and with climate advocacy. Müncheberg, Germany. Helmholtz mentored the scientific community. Samantha Basile*, Michael [email protected] many luminaries When publication charges Lerner* University of Michigan, become the norm, authors who Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. In addition to his own cannot afford to pay them must Keyon Rostamnezhad Dynamic tolls are no discoveries (see H. Schmidgen not be unfairly disadvantaged Northeastern University, Boston, easy traffic fix Nature 561, 175; 2018), polymath (see J. Measey Nature 562, 494; Massachusetts, USA. Hermann von Helmholtz 2018). Means-tested rules for fee *Competing interests declared Peter Cramton and colleagues influenced the development waivers will need to be factored (see go.nature.com/2rcnrdb for suggest that dynamic road of a whole group of illustrious in to the new publishing model. details). pricing could be a solution to physicists. Michael Jennions, Rob Lanfear [email protected] traffic problems (Nature 560, In 1879, for example, he Australian National University, 23–25; 2018). As social scientists, advised his student Heinrich Canberra, Australia. we argue that getting drivers to Rudolf Hertz to experimentally Shinichi Nakagawa University Brazil politics threat change their behaviour might test the assumptions underlying of New South Wales, Sydney, to food security not be so simple, because the James Clerk Maxwell’s theory Australia. behaviour does not depend only of electromagnetism. Hertz [email protected] Last month’s 14th meeting of on prices. subsequently became the first the Conference of the Parties to For instance, drivers tend to to demonstrate the existence of the Convention on Biological stick with their usual routes, electromagnetic waves, which University voices in Diversity discussed the pressing departure times and destinations. eventually led to the radio climate negotiations issue of biodiversity conservation Many would be reluctant to and to telecommunications. and its relation to food security. adapt their trips to a road-pricing Helmholtz’s students and Research institutions are Brazil was a participant with scheme that fluctuates across research associates also included appointed to act as official a right to vote, although it had time and place according to Max Planck, Heinrich Kayser, ‘observer’ delegates at acted merely as an observer in traffic conditions, because this Eugen Goldstein, Wilhelm Wien, international climate negotiations negotiations on the 2010 Nagoya requires too much mental effort. Arthur König, Henry Augustus that are hosted by the United Protocol, which it had failed to And charges would need to be Rowland, Albert Abraham Nations and are otherwise ratify because of its agribusiness prohibitively high to persuade Michelson and Michael Pupin, closed to journalists and the and other interests. In our them to give up the convenience, several of whom went on to outside world (see go.nature. view, Jair Bolsonaro’s incoming independence, flexibility, comfort receive the Nobel prize. com/2atycmq). As non-party government is likely to stand by and speed of using their cars. Helmholtz’s insights continue stakeholders, they will provide those interests, despite the need Neither can public support for to be pertinent today (see, for a layer of transparency at this to protect one of the world’s most road pricing be assumed. It was example, S. A. Khan Int. J. Light week’s 24th annual Conference of biodiverse countries (see also blocked in Manchester (2005) and Electron Opt. 127, 9798–9809; the Parties session, for example. Nature 563, 5–6; 2018). Edinburgh (2007) in the United 2016). Thanks to the University Climate The government now Kingdom, in the Netherlands in Sameen Ahmed Khan Dhofar Delegation Coalition (UCDC) taking shape is committed 2010, and in Copenhagen in 2012. University, Salalah, Oman. that we launched last year, these to relaxing requirements for Pricing policies need to be seen [email protected]