Frank Gannon writes a stirring Editorial in EMBO Reports this month (10, 193; 2009) about scientists and the global economic crisis. " Hubris and recklessness", he writes, " together with an insatiable hunger for money, have created a global crisis that is driving many of the world’s economies into recession. One result is rapidly increasing unemployment and fears are rising that pensions will be rendered worthless; yet, there is no sign of an end to this economic disaster, which has been happening ‘on our watch’."

After summarizing the energy, climate, ecology and humanitarian crises now facing the world, Dr Gannon concludes that "scientists should have been the first to identify these problems and sound the bugle call for action. Indeed, some researchers did voice their concerns and published their analyses back when corrective action could have taken place without major disruption. But they did not galvanize their community, or their community ignored their message or presented contrary analyses; in any case, the scientific community failed. But, even the scientists who voiced their concerns early and proposed corrective measures were largely ignored by modern societies in which sound bites trump evidence and in which ‘academic’ has become synonymous with ‘practically useless’.

There are major challenges ahead and business as usual is no longer good enough. There is an increasing need for courage in the scientific community to both speak up and propose measures, however unpopular in the short-term, to bring about systemic change. We, as scientists, also need to become politically engaged as experts in the political world, rather than poking fun at and ridiculing it. We need to talk to the public directly, convince them of the evidence and present possible solutions to get us out of this mess. More importantly though, it is a time to reflect on how we have contributed to the current system failure and what we can do to help society recover from it. It is still our watch and we can make change happen."

Additional material is in Nature‘s Recession Watch, providing analysis and advice on how to survive the global economic downturn. Science is key to nation-building during a recession but scientists must learn to convince politicians of the need to protect research budgets. Building global links and breaking down the barriers between disciplines is vital if the world is to weather the financial squeeze. Central banks must also end their obsession with cutting interest rates and technology start-ups will need to cut costs and sell what they can. A stimulus package for the developing world could, however, benefit everyone. Nature’s news and opinion coverage of the dangers and opportunities keeps scientists updated on the recession and its impact on institutions, funding, and careers.

See also the March Editorial in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology (16, 229; 2009), ‘Stimulating Science’, which argues that the economic benefits of biomedical research are recognized by governments around the world, but investment in science should go beyond profitability.