News Release
The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is pleased to announce it will undertake four new assessments beginning this spring:
The Socio-Economic Impacts of Health and Science Misinformation
The speed and intensity with which misinformation spreads is increasing and concerning. There is an urgent need to critically examine the real-life impacts of science and health misinformation, which can affect the well-being of people, communities, and the environment.
This assessment will examine the socio-economic costs of misinformation and the impact on public trust in, engagement with, and understanding of science and science-informed policies, as well as leading practices for assessing and responding to misinformation.
Sponsor: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
Canada’s Carbon Sink Potential
Carbon sinks are natural systems that absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they release and have the potential to help Canada meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
This assessment will examine the potential for enhancing carbon storage in these types of systems to support climate change mitigation and adaptation planning in Canada.
Sponsor: Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
Public Safety in the Digital Age
Information and communications technologies have profoundly changed almost every aspect of life and business in the last two decades. While the digital revolution has brought about many positive changes, it has also created opportunities for criminal organizations and malicious actors to target individuals, businesses, and systems.
This assessment will examine promising practices that could help to address threats to public safety related to the use of digital technologies while respecting human rights and privacy.
Sponsor: Public Safety Canada
AI for Science and Engineering
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in science and engineering has the potential to radically transform the nature of scientific inquiry and discovery and produce a wide range of social and economic benefits for Canadians. But, the adoption of these technologies also presents a number of potential challenges and risks.
This assessment will examine the legal/regulatory, ethical, policy and social challenges related to the use of AI technologies in scientific research and discovery.
Sponsor: National Research Council Canada (co-sponsors: CIFAR, CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC)
The Socio-Economic Impacts of Health and Science Misinformation, Canada’s Carbon Sink Potential, and Public Safety in the Digital Age are funded by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and will be released in 2022-23. AI for Science and Engineering is CCA’s first co-sponsored assessment and will be released in 2022.
Multidisciplinary expert panels will be appointed in the coming months for all four assessments.