An arable biomass power station

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In an effort to strengthen their influence on the world's political stage, 12 national science academies have issued two joint statements to the G8 leaders ahead of the annual G8 summit meeting, to be held in Russia next month.

The statements, announced yesterday (14 June) by the national academies of the G8 countries and Brazil, China, India and South Africa, call for better global disease surveillance and more research to tackle the global energy crisis.

They say current efforts are out of touch with the scale of the problems.

They argue that the threat of avian flu should have prompted a better-coordinated international surveillance system, with animal and human health experts working more closely together.

They also highlight inadequacies in funding and incentives for energy research, and call for efforts to boost developing countries' capacity in innovative energy technologies.

The academies hope the statements will encourage the G8 to tackle both issues as a priority.

Link to full article in Nature