Every time i see a headline with that wording "we need to talk about x" I just ignore it. Often it's just click bait into something that is not really up for serious discussion and should rather be "I need to tell you what to think". I'm writing this to reduce the usage of it. And no, I will not write an article with that title about that subject.
However, this is an article written by a researcher in a particular field, published on the website of the best-known and most reputable journal in that field, trying to get a message out to members of that same field, about a topic that nobody wants to discuss. It seems like a pretty appropriate use of "We need to talk about ..." to me.
