Sharing Knowledge, Shaping the Future: Open Science for Global Sustainability
In the 21st century, “open” has become a defining adjective, embodying a range of positive connotations – accessibility, inclusivity, transparency – that make it a powerful concept.
Yet “science” is often perceived as an exclusive domain, offering a rigorous but inaccessible path to knowledge that operates through a series of “black boxes”. In this way, the term Open Science brings together two seemingly contrasting notions, and with it the opportunity to democratise knowledge sharing for the betterment of society at large.
As Open Science gains traction worldwide, we are witnessing transformations in how knowledge is created, shared, and applied across a multitude of sectors. This translation of research from academia to broader society is made possible by removing barriers to information sharing, such as traditional paywalls, and stimulating collaboration among diverse communities.
In doing so, the Open Science movement challenges misperceptions about science by increasing trust through greater transparency. It also enhances the potential impact of research results by empowering researchers, policymakers, and communities to address global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development.
Open Science for Sustainable Development
Open Science contributes to sustainability by, for instance, enabling the widespread sharing of research findings, data, and methodologies, such as information on biodiversity and forest cover loss, which supports evidence-based policymaking for biodiversity and forest conservation actions.
Equally important is the vast amount of satellite data, which facilitates the analysis of past and future trajectories of environmental systems across various spatial and temporal scales. By encouraging the free flow of knowledge, Open Science ensures that critical insights are shared globally, enabling widespread education and collaboration on how best to tackle pressing sustainability challenges.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a great example of this in action. Namely, the global monitoring of progress toward the agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fundamentally relies on data and method sharing. This shared knowledge aids in the identification of potential management solutions that can help countries address threats to sustainability. Therefore, by giving greater visibility to vital research, Open Science supports efforts to solve complex social, environmental, and economic challenges, ultimately contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.
Open Science also contributes to addressing the priorities of COP29, a recent event that brought together world leaders, decision makers, and organisations with the aim of addressing climate change challenges, particularly climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development. By providing open access to critical social and ecological data, researchers and policymakers are better equipped to develop evidence-based strategies for reducing emissions, enhancing climate resilience, and implementing targeted mitigation and adaptation actions. These strategies are especially vital as they underpin financial planning, which is a cornerstone of COP29’s agenda.
Connecting Minds Through Open Access
To support the uptake of Open Science, UNESCO has proposed a set of shared values and guiding principles that aim to make scientific research from all fields accessible to everyone, benefiting both scientists and wider society. This guarantees that scientific knowledge, as well as the processes involved in its creation, are inclusive, equitable, and sustainable.
From this perspective, Open Access (OA) scientific journals and databases play a pivotal role in advancing Open Science by providing free, unrestricted access to research and data. Examples of such platforms are the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and MDPI’s OA journal portfolio, including Sustainability.
Open Access journals offer several advantages for researchers. By providing unrestricted access to full-length research articles and supplementary materials, researchers are able learn from others by studying their methodologies and findings and by making comparisons across different study areas. Open access also bolsters the reproducibility of research, a central concept of the scientific method. For a long time, reproducing experiments was only possible if specific details of the original experiment were shared. As a result, the degree to which independent researchers could replicate an experiment depended heavily on the availability of original information. Open Science overcomes these challenges, while helping the latest research to reach a wide audience – ensuring science for all, not a select few.
Call to Action
Without question, Open Science is reshaping the research landscape, promoting transparency, inclusivity, and collaboration. By utilising Open Access scientific journals and databases, we can democratise access to knowledge, accelerate innovation, and foster interdisciplinary partnerships. In this way, Open Science supports sustainability and climate action goals by ensuring equitable opportunities for policymakers and communities to engage with scientific knowledge, ultimately fostering a more resilient and sustainable future.
However, to bring about a world of Open Science, we need open-minded researchers ready to freely share their findings and decision makers who are eager to learn from and collaborate with scientists. Open Access publishers, and their journals, also play a key role in meditating these exchanges, supporting the flow of information between academia, the public sector, private enterprises, and the general public. Thus, to realise the full potential of Open Science and address pressing global challenges, a culture of openness and collaboration across all sectors becomes essential. Join us in cultivating an inclusive research landscape.
Prof. Dr. Irene Petrosillo and Dr. Ronald C. Estoque, Section EiCs, Sustainability at MDPI.