S-1100-0025-02-00025.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL 27 March 2002 Excellency, I write to thank you for your letter of 21 March 2002 conveying a statement signed by over 100 Nobel Laureates and the article from Science. I was most grateful to receive a copy of this important statement, and the interesting accompanying commentary. With my best regards, Yours sincerely, His Excellency Mr. Paul Heinbecker Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations New York 'Pernrait.imi One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza 885 Second Avenue, 14th Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 ,, March 21,2002 H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan Secretary General of EXECUTIVE UFFiCE The United Nations OF7HESECEEWSENERAI Room S-3800A United Nations Plaza New York, N.Y. 10017 Excellency, At the request of Mr.. JohnPglanyi, Canadian Nobel Laureate (Chemistry, 198^Tam hereby conveymg abatement signed by in excess of 100 of your Mow Nobel Laureates, thit^as publishedin early December. Also attached is an excerptfrorn Science magazine which discusses the assertion ofhe Laureates' statement that "the most profound danger to world peace m Ae coming years will stem not from the irrational acts of states or individuals, but from the legitimate demands of the world's dispossessed.1' Yours sincerely, Paul Heinbecker Ambassador and Permanent Representative NEWS OF THE WEEK NOBEL STATEMENT the world's dispossessed. ... If, then, we per- mit the devastating power of modern Laureates Plead for weaponry to spread through this combustible human landscape, we invite a conflagration Laws, Not War that can engulf both rich and poor." Healthy Investment Spending more OTTAWA—A majority of the world's living "Science alone, technology alone, is not on health care in the developing world Nobel laureates issued a statement last week sufficient to deal with these issues," says would save lives, reduce conflicts, and urging industrial nations to work coopera- Massachusetts Institute of Technology boost the economy, a panel of 18 tively to address conditions that they believe chemist and 1995 Nobel recipient Mario economists, health experts, and scien- contribute to global terrorism and unrest in Molina. "We need strong commitments and tists argues in a report presented this the developing world. The statement, signed values from society that technology and sci- week to World Health Organization by 108 laureates and released at the 100th ence are put to good use." The statement (WHO) director-general Cro Harlem anniversary of the prizes, identifies poverty, mentions the Kyoto Convention on Climate Brundtland. Echoing views long espoused global warming, and the spread of arms as a Change, the Strategic Arms Reduction by its chair, Harvard economist Jeffrey combustible mix, and it points to several in- Treaties, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Sachs, the panel says that middle-income ternational agreements as examples of the and the ABM Treaty as agreements fostering countries should spend an additional 2% kinds of measures that should a similar spirit of of their gross national product on health be encouraged. Ironically, a community. U.S. with- and rich nations should chip in an extra few days after the statement drawal from the ABM 0.1%. Most of the money—some $66 bil- was released, the Bush Admin- Treaty is a "serious lion by 2015—should go to getting drugs istration announced that the mistake," Polanyi says, and vaccines to needy people, with $3 United States is withdrawing adding that nations are billion set aside for basic research and a from one of those agreements, "fooling themselves" "global NIH" that would target common the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile if they think safety but poorly understood diseases. The pan- (ABM) Treaty. can be found behind el estimates that the investment would be repaid sixfold in economic expansion. The message "is a call, not the protective walls Sachs hopes such numbers will start to arms, but to disarm the of new missile screens. swaying national health spending deci- source of major tensions in the Crawling into an sions as early as 2002. In the meantime, world," says the University of armed hole offers only he says, big pharma should make its Toronto's John Polanyi, a 1986 the pretence of safety, drugs cheaper for poor countries. chemistry laureate and the driv- Polanyi argues. Polanyi began talk- PCAST Named The Bush Administration ing to his Nobel colleagues has unveiled its President's Council of Advi- last July about drafting the sors on Science and Technology.The presi- statement. About 30 laureates dent introduced his 22 picks and said that declined, he says, for reasons they would begin work by producing reports that vary from its omission of on information technology infrastructure, population control to a gener- increasing federal science spending in fields al distaste for political com- likely to produce economic benefits, improv- mentary. Many laureates who ing energy efficiency, and combating terror- initially thought that the state- ism. The panel (see sciencenow.sciencemag. ment might be presumptuous org/feature/data/pcastshtml) will be led by or an oracle of the future White House science adviser John Marburg- changed their minds, he er and investor E. Floyd Kvamme. notes, after deciding that "the The council's makeup—just one mem- ber is a working scientist, more than half alternative, having a high lev- come from industry, and many served el of education and some Bush's father—suggests that "the Bush Ad- Bully pulpit. Some 108 living Nobel Prize-winners have signed public prominence and not ministration is moving even further than on to John Polanyi's 100th anniversary statement. saying what you believe, is Clinton" toward addressing industrial issues, even worse." says Harvard University science policy ana- ing force behind the letter. "It's also a call for The message shouldn't be labeled liber- lyst David Hart. Marburger says that the replacement of war by law." If Alfred Nobel al or conservative, Molina says. "To me, dearth of scientific expertise is deliberate: could give away an immense fortune to re- it's rational. It's the only means to provide "The goal is to get advice from leadership in ward achievements in science, literature, and stability in the long run. It's also what we higher education and industry and not nec- peace, Polanyi decided, the least his col- think is fair and justifiable from an ethical essarily at the scientific level" leagues could do is think idealistically about point of view." One more high-profile executive may how to improve the world. Molina says there is no formal plan to still join the panel The White House initially The statement, signed by luminaries in achieve official recognition of the document said that America Online founder Steve science, medicine, literature, and world af- among governments or international bodies. Case was on the team, but a paperwork fairs (see www.sciencemag.org/feature/ "But there might well be next steps that glitch prevented his formal appointment data/nobel.shl for full text and list of signato- each of us take as individuals," he says. ries), says: "The most profound danger to Adds Polanyi: "I don't think one can afford Contributors: Elizabeth Pennisi, Susan . world peace in the coming years will stem to discount the thinking of scientists in an Biggin, Andrew Lawler, David Malakoff, not from the irrational acts of states or indi- age of science." -WAYNE KONDRO Dennis Normile, Jocelyn Kaiser, viduals but from the legitimate demands of Wayne Kondro writes from Ottawa. Martin Enserink, Eliot Marshall www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 294 21 DECEMBER 2001 2455 THE GLOBE AND MAIL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2001 A21 point way On the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, 100 Nobel laureates warn that our security hangs on environmental and social reform THE STATEMENT THE SIGNATORIES Zhohres I. Alferov' ; Richard R. Ernst \ Aaron Klug Burton Richter Physics, 2000 '• Chemistry, 1991 I Chemistry, 1982 Physics, 1976 HE MOST PROFOUND Sidney Altman j Leo Esaki \ Walter Kolin Heimich Rohrer Chemistry, 1989 \ Physics, 1973. I Chemistry, 1998 Physics, 1987 danger to world peace Philip W.Anderson j Edmond H. Fischer I Herbert Kroemer Joseph Rotblat in the coming years will Physics, 1977 I Physiology/Medicine, i Physics, 2000 Peace, 1995 Oscar Arias Sanchez \ 1992 ; Harold Kroto Carlo Rubbia stem not from the irra- Peace, 1987 \ Val L Fitch i Chemistry, 1996 Physics, 1984 tional acts of states or J. Georg Bednorz j Physics, 1980 } Willis E. Lamb Bert Sakmann Physics, 1987 ; Dario Fo :; Physics, 1955 ; Physiolog)'/Medicine, Tindividuals but from the legitimate Bishop Carlos EX. Belo Literature, 1997 j Leon M. Lederman ; 1991 demands of the world's dispos- Peace, 1996 Robert F. Furchgott ; Physics, 1988 I Frederick Sanger Baruj Benacerraf Physiology/Medicine, \ Yuan T. Lee i Chemistry, 1958:1980 sessed. Of these poor and disen- Physiology/Medicine, 1998 ! Chemistry, 1986 ; Jose Saramago 1980 Walter Gilbert \ Jean-Marie Lehn ; Literature, 1998 franchised, the majority live a Hans A. Bethe Chemistry, 1980 ; Chemistry, 1987 i J. Robert Scbrieffer marginal existence in equatorial cli- Physics, 1967 Sheldon L. Glashow I Rita Levi-Montalcini i Physics, 1972 James W. Black Physics, 1979 i Physiology/Medicine, j Melvin Schwartz mates. Global warming, not of their Physiology/Medicine, Mikhail S.Gorbachev \ 1986 } Physics, 1988 making but originating with the 1988 •Peace, 1990 \ William N. Lipscomb j K. Barry Sharpless Guenter Blobel Nadine Gordimer ! Chemistry, 1976 I Chemistry, 2001 wealthy few, will affect their fragile AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Physiology! Medicine, Literature, 1991 } Alan G. MacDiarmid \ Richard E. Smalley Nobel-csse oblige: Chemist Alfred Nobel 1999 Paul Greengard j Chemistry, 2000 I Cliemistry. 1996 ecologies most. Their situation will sought to reward 'idealistic tendencies.' Nicolaas Bloembergen PhysiologylMedicine, '\ Daniel L. McFadden i Jack Steinberger be desperate and manifestly unjust. Physics, 1981 2000 j Economics, 2000 I Physics, 1988 Norman E.