Đề thi VSTEP Full C1 — Phong trào Open Science & Hiệp ước Nhựa Toàn cầu (Round 3)

In the past decade, the open science movement has fundamentally reshaped how researchers communicate, collaborate, and validate findings across disciplines. Driven largely by the replication crisis—wherein numerous high-profile studies failed to be reproduced—the movement advocates for greater transparency in methodology, data sharing, and peer review processes. Initiatives such as preregistration of hypotheses, open-access publishing, and shared data repositories have gained traction among major funding bodies and academic institutions. Proponents argue that open science accelerates discovery by removing barriers to information and enabling large-scale meta-analyses. Critics, however, caution that the model may impose additional burdens on early-career researchers, who already face intense publication pressures. Furthermore, some scholars worry that misuse of publicly available datasets could compromise participant privacy, particularly in sensitive fields such as genomics and social science. As the movement matures, institutions must balance these competing priorities, ensuring that scientific progress does not come at the cost of researcher wellbeing or ethical integrity. The long-term implications for global scientific communities remain an open question.

Welcome to today's lecture on Global Plastic Governance. In recent years, the question of plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Despite growing awareness, global plastic production continues to rise, with projections suggesting it could triple by 2060 if current trends persist. In 2022, UN member states initiated negotiations for an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, often referred to as the Global Plastics Treaty. The proposed framework encompasses the entire lifecycle of plastics—from extraction and production to consumption and disposal. Unlike previous environmental agreements, this treaty aims to address not only marine pollution but also the upstream causes of plastic waste. Negotiations have been notably complex, as participating states hold divergent positions. Producer nations emphasize recycling infrastructure, while environmental advocates push for caps on virgin plastic production. Developing countries argue that historical emitters should bear greater financial responsibility, given their disproportionate contributions to existing pollution. The treaty's success will ultimately depend on whether stakeholders can reconcile economic interests with ecological imperatives—a balance that has eluded many prior multilateral agreements.