医药健康 基础科学 工程技术 资源环境 前沿交叉 政策管理
 
作者:任霄鹏 来源:科学网 www.sciencenet.cn 发布时间:2008-7-15 16:53:13
美大学评出当今世界十大最紧迫问题 气候变化居首
最易解决问题是科学、批判性思维和环境问题上的教育缺乏
 

How Cornell faculty rate the world's most important and the most solvable problems

On a 5-point scale, Cornell faculty members rated the most important issues of the day (their average rating is first number in the parentheses) and issues that are the most solvable (average rating for solvability is the second number in the parentheses).

10 most important problems

• Climate change and its effects on ecosystems (4.39, 2.63)
• Corporations have too much influence in governing (4.24, 3.35)
• Lack of long-term perspective in political, environmental and social actions (4.23, 2.69)
• Humans are unsustainably exploiting the environment (4.13, 2.79)
• Maintaining the health of the planet (4.1, 2.67)
• Lack of global responsibility on the part of corporations, governments and individuals (4.03, 2.97)
• Global poverty and its effects (3.98, 2.48)
• Inequitable distribution of wealth among people (3.97, 2.32)
• Unsuitable growth in energy use (3.96, 2.95)
• Shortage of potable and clean water (3.94, 3.59)

10 most easily solved problems

• Lack of sufficient education in science, critical thinking and environmental issues (3.8, 3.87)
• The epidemic of preventable illnesses in the third world (3.44, 3.81)
• Inequitable access to health care (3.86, 3.77)
• Loss of civil liberties in the U.S. under the guise of fighting terrorism (4.02, 3.75)
• Shortage of potable and clean water (3.94, 3.59)
• Death of children due to preventable causes (3.38, 3.35)
• Women's reproductive health, education, control and options are dictated by others (3.85, 3.34)
• People and governments are paying less attention to basic science research (3.74, 3)
• Growing obesity that impacts health by increasing the risk of chronic diseases (3.59, 2.89)
• Children's activities are too structured and do not engage them in community (3.78, 2.64)

美国康奈尔大学全体学术人员最近参加了一项调查活动,评选当今世界十大最紧迫问题和十大最易解决问题。评选结果表明,气候变化及其对生态系统的影响是全世界面临的头号危机,但这一问题并不那么容易解决。评选出的最易解决问题是科学、批判性思维和环境问题上的教育缺乏。该调查研究结果还将发表在《生态学与环境前沿》(Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment)杂志上。
 
论文第一作者Derek Cabrera是美国ThinkWorks公司的CEO,目前在康奈尔大学做访问学者,此前他曾是该校的博士后研究员。Cabrera说,“这项研究的目的就是找到一种跨学科的认识——大学里广泛的职员认为的人类面对的最大的危机,以及它们的可解决程度。这些世界性问题没有严格学科的界限,因此理解不同领域的科学家如何看待这些问题十分重要。”
 
根据研究结果,共有大约300名学术人员认为最紧迫的世界问题是气候变化、企业对政府管理的影响过大、对政治、环境和社会行动缺乏长久的预期和认识。(右侧图表为十大最紧迫问题和十大最易解决问题排名,其中括号内第一个数字为紧迫度和重要性的平均分,第二个数字为易解决度的平均分。满分为5分。)
 
此次评选出的最易解决问题是科学、批判性思维和环境问题上的教育缺乏,紧随其后的是第三世界国家可预防疾病的流行度和不公正的卫生保健权。
 
值得一提的是,该研究采用了一种政策分析和管理中常用的“概念映射图”(concept mapping)方法,即利用大脑风暴、多维度分类和评分,来概括一个群体如何概念化某个主题。(科学网 任霄鹏/编译)
 
更多阅读(英文)
 
 
 
 
 
发E-mail给: 
    
| 打印 | 评论 | 论坛 | 博客 |
读后感言:
相关新闻 一周新闻排行

小字号

中字号

大字号

Baidu
map