Breathe
By Julia Tagüeña
I recently received the great honor of the emeritorship of the UNAM and in my participation I said:
"It is important to mention here the enormous relevance that science has for humanity. Science, in its broadest expression, together with art, since the humanities are divided between science and art, constitute the binomial of the creativity of our species, the hominids we call Homo Sapiens. Science, which includes natural, exact, life, health, social and human sciences, all united in complexity, as well as basic and applied sciences, connected by sometimes surprising paths. And this includes the communication of science, which must undoubtedly be given a role equivalent to that of research and teaching.
Science is not perfect, and it has often been misused, but it has mechanisms of self-regulation and evaluation that other activities do not have. In science we look for verifiable facts that help us make decisions and encourage critical thinking. Science is a way of thinking, which allows us not to be manipulated by dogma, supposed absolute truths, and fake news.
Creating knowledge is good in itself, but the economic and social benefits of fostering science, technology and innovation are enormous. Our society is dependent on science and technology. It has been clear for many years, in Mexico and in the world, that devoting funding to the science, technology and innovation system is a great investment. Think, for example, of renewable energies - my area of training and affiliation. It is essential to achieve an energy transformation that allows us not only to address climate change, but to drive sustainable, fair and inclusive development."
In the administration that is coming to an end, there was a clear setback in the development of science and an enormous deterioration of the environment in the scientific community. This makes the decision to create a Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SeCiHTI) to be seen with the hope of recovering the path with a vision towards the 21st century. It is not a question of repeating the past, only of taking what has worked and opening new possibilities.
SeCiHTI fulfills a long-standing request for science to be at the highest level of decision making. Each administration has been given a positioning of the scientific community. In the 2018 document "Towards the consolidation and development of public policies in science, technology and innovation" it says textually in its actions section, among other possibilities:
"XI.1. Strengthen the structure of the STI system, considering the possibility of creating a Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation, which would adequately prioritize attention to the sector;...".
In this election, a document analyzing the situation was delivered to the teams of the candidates and the candidate, which included a similar proposal, to consider the possibility of a Secretariat. It is great news that the virtual president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has been sensitive to this request.
Of course, there will be many details that will define this new structure, which must have sufficient resources and an agile financing system. The person selected to head this great challenge, Rosaura Ruiz, the first woman president of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, has the qualities to achieve it, together with the experience of a very good job done in the Secretariat of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SECTeI) of Mexico City.
This is an opportunity for our country to advance towards a more just and equitable society that cares for the environment, biodiversity, combats climate change and promotes sustainability, with the support of science, the humanities, technology and innovation. Because without science there is no future.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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