World Science Day for Peace and Development is celebrated annually on November 10. First declared by UNESCO in 2001, the day is dedicated to deepening the dialogue between scientists and the general public and highlights the importance of science for us all.

Until the early modern period, scientists were reluctant to share their research results. Firstly, before the development of printing, this was technically difficult. Scientists primarily corresponded privately with colleagues and worked independently. A second significant reason was the impossibility of avoiding plagiarism and securing credit for a discovery. Scientists even encrypted their notes to prevent unconfirmed hypotheses from becoming public knowledge before they were proven. Many concealed their inventions until they could profit from them.

The scientific revolution also made science more open. Just as scientists themselves began to feel the need to share their discoveries and discuss them internationally, society also became increasingly interested in innovations in a field that had previously only attracted a small circle of intellectuals. Science forever changed the face of the world. Revolutionary discoveries in medicine made it possible to overcome diseases that had plagued humanity for centuries. Advances in agriculture fed the hungry and fueled explosive population growth. The discovery of electricity and steam power improved the overall standard of living.

But progress also had its downside: environmental pollution, increasing wealth inequality, and the gap in living standards between European countries and the rest of the world. Finally, science created unprecedented weapons, from dynamite to the nuclear bomb.

The public has always viewed science with both admiration and apprehension. Faith in the bright future promised by progress has given way to fear of the destructive power of incompletely understood forces of nature. In times of crisis, scientists are always the source of great hope, yet they are often blamed for civilization’s woes. This trend continues today. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this has become especially relevant. Despite the unprecedented level of mobilization of the scientific community and the support received by doctors and scientists, the flip side has also become evident.

The WHO has called this phenomenon an ” infodemic ” or  information pandemic . A vast amount of unverified and often false information has flooded the internet. Panicky and hateful rhetoric has filled the information space, drowning out rational arguments. UNESCO expert Fouad Laroui laments, “Over the past 20 years, the idea has become entrenched in society that science is a religion or a belief system, no different from any other. This is very dangerous.”

There are alarming similarities between the criticism leveled at the introduction of smallpox vaccination in the 18th century and the refusal of educated people today to vaccinate against COVID-19. Relatively innocuous conspiracy theories, such as the flat Earth society, may seem unworthy of attention. But the anti-vaccination movement poses a very real danger to humanity. Therefore, UNESCO has declared increasing scientific literacy among its top priorities for scientific development .

One of the most significant reasons for the spread of fake news is the lack of an alternative. Experts are often unable to quickly and clearly answer the public’s questions. To combat the infodemic, experts must communicate with the public more often and explain their work simply and clearly in audience-friendly venues: blogs and online publications. This is the only way to teach people to calmly and carefully analyze information and avoid spreading unverified, scandalous claims.

Despite the complexities of the interaction between science and society, scientific advancement is key to sustainable development. UNESCO cites the transition to a green and digital society—the “double transition” —as key priorities . This cannot be achieved without significant investment in science.

Most countries, even the poorest, recognize the need to develop environmentally friendly and digital technologies. Investment in this area has increased globally over the past five years. However, eight out of ten countries still invest less than 1% of GDP in science and remain primarily importers of advanced goods and technologies.

For developed countries, developing green technologies is the only way to meet the Paris Agreement’s commitments. Eighty percent of the world’s energy supply still relies on fossil fuels, and a transition to renewable energy will not only require significant investment but also disrupt the labor market. Unemployment and a decline in living standards can be prevented by implementing new technologies and creating knowledge-based jobs. For developing countries, a “dual transition” is a way to significantly accelerate industrialization.

But even here, progress has its downside. The development of alternative energy will lead to fluctuations in the labor market and price instability for natural resources, the extraction of which accounts for a significant portion of the economies of some countries. Rampant digitalization makes the economy more transparent and reduces corruption. At the same time, the transition to cashless payments could harm those employed in the informal sector. India, for example, is a cash economy. A large portion of its population risks, if not losing their income, then at least facing additional difficulties.

Only the harmonious development of science can ensure the realization of all the benefits of the dual transition without further disruption. To achieve this, science must be open and accessible to all. The right to science, to participate equally in scientific endeavors and to benefit from its achievements, is a fundamental human right. The development of open science is one of the core principles proclaimed by UNESCO.

Unfortunately, the development of the scientific journal system not only enabled scientists around the world to interact with one another but, over time, has also complicated this communication. Since the 1980s, more and more scientists have been criticizing the current system. Major publishers, such as Elsevier and Springer, have gained a virtually unlimited monopoly on the publication of scientific papers. Critics of the journal system argue that the prices they charge authors and subscribers are exorbitant, hindering access to scientific information.

With the development of the internet, more and more scientists are advocating for open access platforms for scientific research. Open Science publications allow scientists around the world to quickly share their latest achievements. Besides the paywall (as expensive subscriptions to scientific journals have been caustically called), publication timelines are an additional obstacle: several months can pass between the writing of a scientific paper and its publication, which is often unacceptable.

Literature on ecology

Belarus has a highly developed system of university repositories. Publications by staff, faculty, and students of major universities, as well as conference proceedings, are available online under a Creative Commons license. In its collection of books and research articles on various environmental issues, the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus strives to include as many legally open-access publications as possible. Physical books and journals are available for anyone to read at the library.

Readers can also peek behind the notorious paywall: the library subscribes to most of the largest scientific databases across all fields of science, including Scopus, Web of Science, and others. Access to these databases is free for readers from their library workstations.