1 June 2009: IAP releases a new statement ...

We, the academies of science working through the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), call on world leaders to:

• Acknowledge that ocean acidification is a direct and real consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, is already having an effect at current concentrations, and is likely to cause grave harm to important marine ecosystems as CO2 concentrations reach 450 ppm and above;
   
• Recognise that reducing the build up of CO2 in the atmosphere is the only practicable solution to mitigating ocean acidification;
   
• Within the context of the UNFCCC negotiations in the run up to Copenhagen 2009, recognise the direct threats posed by increasing atmospheric CO2 emissions to the oceans and therefore society, and take action to mitigate this threat;
   
• Implement action to reduce global CO2 emissions by at least 50% of 1990 levels by 2050 and continue to reduce them thereafter;
   
• Reinvigorate action to reduce stressors, such as overfishing and pollution, on marine ecosystems to increase resilience to ocean acidification.

Download the IAP Statement on Ocean Acidification

Download the Press release

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IAP Statements over the past years ....

September 2008: IAP released a celebratory edition of all IAP Statements to mark IAP's 15th Anniversary. Download the booklet here, or contact the IAP Secretariat for a printed copy.

Since its inception, IAP has issued a number of statements signed by the majority of its members, on issues of global concern.

Population Growth (1994):
In 1994, a statement on population, endorsed by 58 academies was produced following the Science Summit on World Population held in New Delhi, India in October 1993.

Urban Development (1996):
In 1996, 72 IAP members endorsed a statement on urban development.

Transition to Sustainability (2000):
In May 2000, as a follow-up to the Tokyo Conference on Sustainability, 73 academies were signatories to the statement on transition to sustainability, translated into a number of languages.

Ban on Human Reproductive Cloning (2003):
IAP released a statement calling for a ban on human reproductive cloning in September 2003. The statement has 63 signatories among IAP members and is available in several languages.

5 Statements on science-related issues ... (2003):
In December 2003, at the IAP General Assembly in Mexico City, IAP released five statements on science related issues: Health of mother and child, science education, scientific capacity building, science and the media, access to scientific information. Each statement has a list of signatories accounting for more than two-thirds of the IAP membership. See here for details.

Biosecurity (2005):
Released in December 2005, this IAP statement was issued ahead of the Meeting of States Parties of the Biological Weapons Convention (5 - 9 December 2005) in Geneva, and was endorsed by over 60 national science academies. The statement addresses five fundamental issues facing scientists working in the biosciences: awareness; safety and security; education and information; accountability; and oversight. Following the release of the biosecurity statement,  the Chilean Academy of Sciences, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences and the Pontificia Academia Scientiarvm have requested to be added to the listed signatories, as well as the Caribbean Academy of Sciences.

In 2007/2008 ... IAP's newest members, the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina also endorsed the statement.

Biosecurity statement press release (The Royal Society, UK)
Statement on Biosecurity

The Teaching of Evolution (2006):
More recently in June 2006, IAP released a statement on "The teaching of evolution". The statement, signed by over 65 IAP member academies urges parents and teachers to provide children with the facts about the origins and evolution of life on Earth and to foster an understanding of the science of nature. Since the release of the IAP Statement on 21 June 2006 on the Teaching of Evolution, the Ghana Academy of Arts and Science, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences have agreed to the text and add their names as signatories.

Press Release
IAP Statement: On the Teaching of Evolution