Research and technologies

On Thursday May 14th, the Araine 5 rocket blasted into space, carrying with it the Herschel and Planck telescopes. They will remain in orbit for the next 2-3 months, making valuable observations. The telescopes have a combined cost of €1.9 billion, the most expensive package that the European Space Agency’s science division has ever launched from a single rocket. Herschel is the largest telescope that has even been put in space, while Planck is a survey telescope with the sharpest sight, most sensitive instruments, and widest frequency range. The successful launching of these cutting-edge telescopes is the product of 20 years of research, and over 100 different contractors from 15 countries.

Image: www.flickr.com/ ttfnrob

This is the amount EU leaders have just pledged to spend on energy and broadband internet infrastructure. In late January, the Commission proposed to redistributed €5 billion of unspent agricultural funding from the previous year. Member states criticized the reallocation as initially proposed, disagreeing over which projects deserved funding. The initial proposal had set aside a smaller amount for energy projects, but pressure and more projects increased the amount. The plan still needs to be approved by the European Parliament.

Image: www.flickr.com /jepoirrier

The recent controversy over the safety of cloned animals for human consumption has had at least one virtue. It has revealed the existence of a body that will have an increasing importance over the coming years, the European Group on Ethics for science and new technologies (EGE). This group was asked by the European Commission to issue an opinion after the United States Food and Drug administration cleared meat from cloned animals for human consumption. According to the European Food Safety Authority, there is little reason to believe that cloned animals are less fit for consumption then any other animal. This complicated debate, however, goes beyond scientific assessments hence the involvement of the EGE. EFSA recognizes “that the issue of animal cloning raises ethical, moral and other societal issues beyond its remit".

Click here to read the EGE opinion and find out more about its composition and role.

This is the percentage of national GDP that France spends on research in low-carbon technologies, making France the European leader. Here European leaders could really make a difference and Thursday the European Commission announced its plan on how to step up the development of low-carbon technologies. Not surprisingly, the Commission talked of more research investments. Only problem is that the Commission lacks funds to walk the walk and increase the much needed investments that perhaps one day would allow Mr. Verhofstadt, Mr. Balkenende and Mr. Juncker to plane-pool in a CO2 free aircraft to visit their old friend Barroso, and reminisce the long-gone days when Europe still spent billions on agricultural subsidies and global warming was a problem. Instead the Commission can do nothing more than to coordinate and to collect and disseminate information. A real development of low-carbon technologies will only happen when the member states walk the walk and increase their research funding.