Our festival was born from the idea of a completely new and different festival in Europe. The festival was to be European in the true sense of the word, showcasing the best European science and presenting it in the best way possible to all the public, which deserves this quality and tradition.
There are many excellent festivals in Europe. Some are national only and do well to justify their name and mission, others are broader in scope, but there is currently no overarching festival covering the whole of Europe. It would be a place where the best meet, a place to share experiences, a place where the best can learn from the best. A place where all of European science could be celebrated, a place accessible to all, cohesive and, above all, a place that the global public that does not follow other European festivals could observe.
Unlike other festivals, at the European Science Festival, Nobel Prize winners present themselves to gifted students, masters of science communication to the enthusiasts of citizen science, awarded science journalists to academics from the most distinguished European Academies of Sciences and Arts. This is what Europe has to show in terms of science at the moment, and what it can, shamelessly, present to the world. Knowing that sometimes the language of science speaks where other languages of diplomacy are not heard as they sound too national or too politically partisan, this language can at such an event be used to speak to the people whom otherwise we cannot, or to hear them in the same language because otherwise no one else is listening. This could be a place where conversation flows easily and dialogue solves many problems that can only be solved over politics and statesmanship. Perhaps this is yet to come, perhaps it suffices to find a place and establish an institution, both of which we will need in the future when we are ready to use the language of science – also called the language of truth – for the good of mankind.
There may be even worse global crises ahead than the current pandemic, for example, which we cannot foresee, they will reach us in an instant, and not even with the best of intentions will we be fully prepared for them. And perhaps it is this language of truth, with science being one that fits all, that will unravel the tangled knots of evil. The current global health crisis is a great test not only of how to use science in order to solve it, but also of how to communicate science in order to do away with the crisis with as few human casualties as possible. Communicating science changes rapidly in such times, it becomes a great necessity, and it is precisely this kind of space for debate and best practice of communication in science that could be an excellent testing ground in the future, for the dissemination and use of the language of science for the peace and good of humanity.
But for the European Science Festival to mature into such an institution, we must start at the outset. That is why we have been very focused on the purpose of the festival, which must be clearly defined right at the outset and sufficiently relevant for it in the future to grow into a European overarching festival in the true sense of the word. We therefore decided that the European Science Festival would promote the European Research Area from the outset and try to help deepen it. The festival should consistently consider the needs of citizens to communicate science and help guide young talents into new generations of scientists who will be ready to face the challenges rapidly approaching, which are greater than now. But for the festival to find its Europeanness in science, we should certainly draw on the rich European tradition and culture of European life, by respecting European values such as tolerance, solidarity, openness and ethical behaviour. And it is exactly along this path that the festival could go to reach its goal, which is surely to improve the understanding of science and to increase trust in science.
These are the silent and ambitious aspirations that have been formed in the process of creating this festival and which have been reinforced over these three days. I will be pleased if they do not subside.
In these concluding words, I will again refer to António Guterres (Secretary-General of the United Nations), who said at the beginning of the general debate of the 76th UN General Assembly that the world is on the verge of a precipice and moving in the wrong direction. Scientists have sounded the red alert; greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people in imminent danger. Global warming affects all regions of the world and many changes are beyond our ability to reverse. Guterres called on the world to take urgent and decisive action.
I would like to draw attention to the major crises looming: global warming, the COVID-19 pandemic and the infodemic (as the WHO has named it). In such crises, science communication plays a very important bridging role between scientists, politicians and the general public. It is important that scientific evidence gets through the political process and becomes as established as possible. In this process, the scientist changes or influences the change of dialogue, but is never the decision-maker in the complex political process. Science does not shape politics, science only informs. The greatest problem facing science communication at this time is how a scientist who is also a politician’s advisor can maintain independence and integrity. In these times, there is a great need for transparency and trust, which is why we need to create an environment of trust between those who shape politics, the scientific community and the general public.
I should also touch on the infodemic, as it has been named by the WHO. How do we stop it? Reacting to false information can cost us our lives. According to the WHO, in the first three months of 2020, almost 6,000 people were hospitalised as a result of false information. It is very likely that 800 people in this group also lost their lives. The cause of death of these people was named ‘infodemic’ by the WHO. It is too much information, some of it true, some of it not, being disseminated when a disease breaks out. Although infodemics have always been there, they are now spreading extremely rapidly, thanks to all the digital devices used for the transmission of information. WHO experts believe that the uncertainty resulting from such transmission of information is a cause for scepticism and mistrust, which in turn creates an environment conducive to fear, depression, stigmatisation and, as a result, even violent aggression. This process can also lead to loss of life.
We will be successful when behaviour at all levels – for individuals, groups, the society, within the health system and within government – changes in a way that allows us to resist misinformation and follow the instructions that help us prevent the epidemic of disease. WHO experts have concluded that the global fight against COVID-19 infodemic should be treated as a separate scientific discipline, which examines the understanding of the spread of the disease itself.
The crisis caused by the corona virus pandemic has revealed the urgency of having as many scientists as possible educated and ready to communicate the findings in their own field of research to society and to advise policy makers.
A multidisciplinary scientific approach is indispensable in such crises; a competent scientist responsible demonstrates solutions possibilities in the form of answers to open questions, both to the public and more narrowly, to a specific group only. In global issues, however, scientists who deal scientifically with large amounts of data and scientific analysts are increasingly in demand. The need to broaden and deepen our understanding of research and innovation has highlighted the dialogue of science communication.
In summary, awareness of the deepening of the European Science Area and of the link between science, science policy with the language of science diplomacy, and of the general public on scientific literacy, will certainly be a central focus in the future. And festivals like this one just concluding only open the door to a better future for humanity on this beautiful planet Earth.
Andraž Ivšek
Ljubljana, 21 October 2021
From The Conclusion of the European Science Festival during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
In Scientia Veritas 