[Open Access Week 2022 special] Community speak: What does open access mean to you?


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[Open Access Week 2022 special] Community speak: What does open access mean to you?

One of the largest events of the global open access movement, International Open Access Week 2022 (October 24–30, 2022) has set the international scholarly community abuzz. The conversations this time around are centered on the theme Open for Climate Justice. The ongoing climate crisis has far-reaching effects. Free and immediate access to the latest research in climate science can be an effective way to address the inequities influencing the impacts of climate change and how we deal with them. Experts and KOLs from the scholarly publishing industry are also voicing their opinions on this subject. To explore how openness in science can drive climate justice, we share some insights by industry experts at IntechOpen, a leading publisher of open access books.

 

 

Viktorija Zgela

Head of Editorial Development, IntechOpen

 

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Climate change has quickly transitioned from scientific discussion into something we live every day. The COVID-19 situation has taught us that we need to share knowledge and discoveries to effectively address any crisis. By opening up climate research we allow equal, non-discriminatory, and quick access to shared knowledge, which is especially important for those communities that are already impacted by the consequences of climate change. Open science can lead to a climate justice because it allows all parties to design an evidence-informed response and practice changes, both top-down and bottom-up.

 

 

Professor Dr. Eduardo Jacob-Lopes

Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil; Editor in Chief, Green Energy and Environmental Technology

 

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Climate change has a strong global impact, and we are already experiencing this. Scientists are working hard to find innovative sustainable solutions to our problems: looking at renewable energy resources; minimizing the carbon footprint; and building our future by developing effective and sustainable methods to recognize and use biomass as a valuable resource. The pace of climate change requires a fast, interdisciplinary and collaborative approach. The principles of Open Science are simple: share data, code and research papers through Open Access; make manuscripts fully reproducible and available to both fellow scientists and a wider audience. These actions are crucial steps in fostering collaboration. They will advance and transform climate change research. IntechOpen has recognized the need to raise awareness of Open Science through our journal publications. I am happy to take part in this initiative - as the Editor in Chief of Green Energy and Environmental Technology.

 

 

Professor Ping Lu

Rowan University, USA; Editorial board member, Green Energy and Environmental Technology

 

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Pollution, resulting in climate change, is the greatest threat to our planet's biodiversity. As the first generations experience the negative effects, let's look at the opportunity to do something about it - by developing clean energy systems and technologies, promoting a healthier and greener economy, and building energy-efficient towns and cities. Systematic research precedes all these technological solutions. Publishing that research - on time - maximises our chances to help our planet and improve our quality of life. Publishing research through the Open Access model is the most efficient dissemination. Being a part of the Open Science community - at the IntechOpen journal Green Energy and Environmental Technology - allows me to work on this progress. I take my editorial responsibility as responsibility for global well-being and a healthier future.

 

 

Ayatte I. Atteya

Research Student, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK; Special Issue Co-Guest Editor, Green Energy and Environmental Technology

 

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Tackling climate change is an emergency and we need to act urgently. Policy makers and energy analysts need access to the latest research to enable upscaling of emerging technologies towards accelerating the green energy transition. Publishing open access will help scientists to share their findings and novelties in science within the areas of renewable energies, environmental technologies and clean sustainable development, thus making research fully accessible to a wider community and allowing policy makers to explore ongoing advances with regards to clean sustainable solutions. Contributing as Guest Editor in IntechOpen Journal Green Energy and Environmental Technology will help me to play a part and support open access research by leading a Special Issue on 'Hybrid Renewable Hydrogen Green Energy Systems'. I am pleased to take part in the solution to maximize the impact of open access research.

 

 

Professor Yixin Zhang

Soochow University, China; ‘Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability’ Topic Editor, Sustainable Development IntechOpen Book Series

 

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Global changes, including climate change, have been significantly impacting the planet’s environment and our societal and economic sustainability. In the face of such tremendous challenges, we must advance our understanding on the science of climate change and environmental sustainability to find successful and efficient adaptation and mitigation methods to reduce and overcome the negative effects of planetary changes. To tackle global challenges of development and environment, the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve them, innovative progress, new scientific knowledge, and breakthrough findings on climate change and environmental sustainability must be widely shared for the global general public. It is particularly crucial for diverse scientific research groups, especially for those in vulnerable developing regions and resource limited countries in the world, that we adapt to the open science process. Thus, open access publications can be very useful for enhancing academic and non-academic communication of climate change and sustainability in multiple aspects of science, technology, economics, and society.

 

 

Associate Professor Murat Eyvaz

Gebze Technical University, Turkey; Book Editor

 

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This summer, the forests, the lungs of our planet, burned and disappeared again in many countries. Today, only one-tenth of forest fires occur spontaneously in nature, and the others occur in dry weather and drought. The impacts of climate change mean they are no longer a natural part of our ecosystem. Forest fires and climate change mutually increase their effects. Elevated temperatures and decreasing rainfall with climate change cause drought, and increased drought, high air temperatures, low relative humidity, lightning, and strong winds in turn cause climate change, resulting in hotter, drier, and longer fire seasons, which further increases wildfires. What’s more, climate change is worsening the impact of wildfires, often by destroying fragile and carbon-rich ecosystems such as peatlands and rainforests. Unfortunately, this cycle continues. If we do not reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save energy and water, our climate will continue to change, our water will continue to run out and our forests will continue to burn. Let us change the habits that will harm our climate. Let us not let our climate change.

 

 

Dr. Rajesh Banu Jeyakumar

Central University of Tamil Nadu, India; Book Editor

 

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Open science is the need of the hour, especially in case studies of climate change. It helps adopt strategies to mitigate or solve similar environmental hazards in various parts of the world. It can assist developing countries frame science-based policies to combat climate issues in their early stages.

 

 

Professor Mohamed Nageeb Rashed

Aswan University, Egypt; Book Editor

 

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We hope that the Climate Change Event (COP27) in Egypt will bring useful results to reduce the effects of climate change for the world and for developing countries. Climate research should be made available so that researchers around the world can use it and help policy and decision makers in the world solve problems related to climatic change in their countries.

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Published on: Oct 26, 2022

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