2024 WCSL highlighted the importance of science literacy in supporting sustainable and joint development

BEIJING, Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a news release from China Research Institute for Science Popularization: The 2024 World Conference on Science Literacy (2024 WCSL) kicked off in Beijing from Dec 5-6. With the theme of "Enhance Science Literacy, Empower Joint Development", the 2024 WCSL featured discussions and exchanges on topics of global interest regarding public science literacy building. The conference is sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), with support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Science Council (ISC), the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), and the World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS).

During the keynote speeches, Ezra Clark, Special Representative of the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, said in early December, UNESCO had officially launched the International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development (2024-2033), a global and coordinated initiative designed to harness the power of all of the sciences-basic, applied, social and human-to advance sustainable change to our societies, economies and environment.

In the Strategic Plan: International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033), published by UNESCO, it has listed "global community empowered through scientific literacy" as Expected Outcome 1 of the Decade, Clark said, adding that advancing public science literacy can further strengthen public understanding of science and ensure that scientific and technological advances are effectively implemented and adopted.

When examining the development and application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, Gong Ke, Former President of the WFEO and Executive Director of the Chinese Institute of the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies (CINGAI), said that artificial intelligence serves as an advanced productive force, and more science popularization efforts need to focus on making the public aware and understand the potential risks and issues of AI technology so as to avoid unnecessary panic.

Sook-kyoung Cho, President of the Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST Network) and Professor at the Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), said that science literacy is more than just learning about scientific knowledge, but also the ability to make objective, critical evaluation of scientific information to make sound decisions.

Julie A. Luft, Retiring President of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Georgia, said that to improve the science literacy of students in today's age, science teachers have to adopt new roles as learners, innovators and futurists that can learn new teaching standards, develop new teaching methods, and help student not just to learn what science is, but also how science works.

Rosalia Vargas, President of the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture, Portugal and Director of the Pavilion of Knowledge, said that science literacy building requires creative, collaborative, and inclusive networks of cooperation from different stakeholders, thus mustering the full strength of the society to improve public science literacy.

In addition, the conference featured five thematic forums, focusing on key issues ranging from leveraging new technologies to support science literacy building to sharing regional practices and visions for building science popularization capacity. These events have facilitated dialogue, built consensus, and highlighted pragmatic issues in science literacy building, thus supporting the formulation of better programs and policies to support science popularization and improve public science literacy.

In the future, WCSL will continue to play its role as an international platform for dialogue and cooperation in the field of science popularization and science literacy, a hub for academic collaboration and nurturing quality science communicators, and a supporter to empower the global community through science literacy.