Science 20 leaders at G20 focused on addressing health, environment issues

The goal of the Science 20, the science-focused G20 subgroup, is to develop science-based solution for global issues, said Dr. Anas Alfaris, chief of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) speaking at the G20 Riyadh summit on Thursday.

The G20 digital summit is underway in Saudi Arabia this week with a number of high-level meetings.

Alfaris said the S20 formed four task forces comprised of 180 scientists that tackled the world’s most pressing issues regarding health, the environment, and the digital revolution. The final task force focused on foresight and how to turn science into action.
As the coronavirus rages on, governments are tasked with responding and the S20 has been at the forefront, developing policies to enable countries to respond the present and future challenges.

“Challenges are growing exponentially, and governments ability to respond to such changes must also grow,” Alfaris said. “We need to continuously ask if we’re ready.”