Nature lists Marina Silva as one of the most influential people in science The world and science

The Brazilian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, has been elected one of the ten most influential people in the world in science by Nature, a major international scientific publication. The list was released on Wednesday (13).

Nature describes Marina Silva as a “protector of the Amazon” and someone who helped reverse the rampant deforestation that was occurring under the government of Jair Bolsonaro. According to the magazine, in a year full of bad environmental news, with record high global temperatures, scorching heat waves and fires, Marina Silva sent a message of hope on August 3: she announced that there had been a 43% reduction in warnings about deforestation on satellite images of forests. Amazon rainforest between January and July 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.

The Minister also appealed the Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAM), which was canceled by the Bolsonaro government. In addition, it restored police support in the region to enforce environmental regulations. Between January and July, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) issued 147% more fines for environmental crimes than the average between 2019 and 2022.

The magazine highlights that under the Bolsonaro government, fines for environmental crimes have been reduced by 40%, and logging in the Amazon region has increased by about 60% compared to the previous four years.

The list compiled by Nature highlights the role of people who have helped make scientific discoveries and who have drawn attention to crucial issues. The magazine itself explains that it is not an award or a ranking, but a selection compiled by Nature editors to highlight the most interesting stories of the year.

gbt chat
In addition to choosing people, this year Nature also chose a non-human figure, Chat GPT, to be among the most influential of 2023. According to the magazine, this is an acknowledgment of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on development and progress. About science.

“Why is a computer program included in the list of people who shaped science in 2023? ChatGPT is not a person. However, this program has had a profound and far-reaching impact on science over the course of the year in many ways. The sole purpose of ChatGPT is to continue dialogues in a way that is sensible according to data Training.But in doing so, this and other generative AI programs are changing the way scientists work.

The magazine adds that no one knows how much can be extracted from systems like ChatGPT. Their capabilities may still be limited by computational power or new training data. “But the generative AI revolution has already begun. There is no turning back.

The full list and profile of those selected is available on the Nature website.