A new report, published in the latest edition of PLoS Medicine, lays out precisely how emerging nanotechnologies can help to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
63 specialists around the world were asked by the Canadian Joint Centre for Bioethics to identify the ways in which nanotechnologies could be used in the developing world. The group ranked the potential of different applications, and linked them to five key MDG categories.
We posed the following open-ended question: “Which do you think are the nanotechnologies most likely to benefit developing countries in the areas of water, agriculture, nutrition, health, energy, and the environment in the next 10 years?” These areas were identified in the 2002 UN Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development. We asked the panelists to answer this question using the following criteria derived from our previous Top Ten Biotechnologies study.Impact. How much difference will the technology make in improving water, agriculture, nutrition, health, energy, and the environment in developing countries?
Burden. Will it address the most pressing needs?
Appropriateness. Will it be affordable, robust, and adjustable to settings in developing countries, and will it be socially, culturally, and politically acceptable?
Feasibility. Can it realistically be developed and deployed in a time frame of ten years?
Knowledge gap. Does the technology advance quality of life by creating new knowledge?
Indirect benefits. Does it address issues such as capacity building and income generation that have indirect, positive effects on developing countries?
The resulting list covers issues familiar to WorldChanging readers.
Energy production and storage topped the list, with agricultural productivity close behind. Other issues amenable to nanotechnological interventions include water treatment, disease diagnosis and construction. The paper includes a graphic outlining specific technologies for each category, most of which are currently in development, in testing, or just about ready for market. It's clear that the people assembling this document and research are paying close attention to developments in the field.
The authors of the paper recommend the implementation of a new initiative, Addressing Global Challenges Using Nanotechnology, modeled on the work of the Global Challenges in Global Health, started last year by the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. But they aren't expecting the developed world to be the sole source of nanotechnology. The article makes a point of identifying current nanotechnology programs in the developing world:
Several developing countries have launched nanotechnology initiatives in order to strengthen their capacity and sustain economic growth. India's Department of Science and Technology will invest $20 million over the next five years (2004–2009) for their Nanomaterials Science and Technology Initiative. Panacea Biotec (New Delhi, India) is conducting novel drug delivery research using mucoadhesive nanoparticles, and Dabur Research Foundation (Ghaziabad, India) is participating in Phase-1 clinical trials of nanoparticle delivery of the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel. The number of nanotechnology patent applications from China ranks third in the world behind the United States and Japan. In Brazil, the projected budget for nanoscience during the 2004–2007 period is about $25 million, and three institutes, four networks, and approximately 300 scientists are working in nanotechnology. The South African Nanotechnology Initiative is a national network of academic researchers involved in areas such as nanophase catalysts, nanofiltration, nanowires, nanotubes, and quantum dots. Other developing countries, such as Thailand, the Philippines, Chile, Argentina, and Mexico, are also pursuing nanotechnology.
The authors of the piece are clear that nanotechnology is not a silver bullet to solve all development problems. It is, however, a key technology research direction world-wide, with enormous implications for changing how we live and work. As Dale Carrico wrote recently, we can't expect the technologies of "the future" to be used to make a difference in people's lives unless we start working now to make it happen. This article -- which seems to be getting a good bit of coverage -- is a big step in that direction, as it does more than simply argue that nanotechnology could be a good thing for the developing world, someday. It spells out how nanotechnology can be applied, the specific types of developments which will be of greatest use, and exactly what kind of difference they can make.
New technologies won't improve the lives of the billions in poverty unless we change our behavior -- but when we do change our behavior, new technologies will help to bring about the desired results faster, more easily and more completely.
