The national science academies of 13 countries called today for governments to cooperate and take action now to reduce the damage being caused by climate change. Martin Rees, president of Britain’s Royal Society, presented the statement to Angela Merkel, prime minister of Germany, ahead of the Group of Eight summit, to be held in Germany in June. Countries in the group, which comprises the leading industrial powers, bear particular responsibility for current high levels of energy consumption and the associated climate change, the statement says.

They should help developing countries skip over harmful energy sources to adopt modern, efficient technologies first. In addition, the statement says, the innovative power of science to develop new sources of energy and to counter the process of global warming must be combined with regulation to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. To do that, leaders should change human behavior by creating incentives to use energy efficiently and to promote public understanding of climate and energy issues, the statement concludes. —Susan Brown