is a multidisciplinary, scientific platform for widening the discussion and creating awareness about problems of Geoethics and Ethics applied to the Geosciences.
IAPG is legally recognized as a not-for-profit association, has 3109 members in 129 countries on 5 continents, and can count on a network of 35 national sections.
IAPG works to developing theoretical and practical activities covering a wide range of contents comprising: philosophy of geosciences and history of geosciences thinking; research integrity and professionalism in geosciences; working climate issues and related aspects; geoethics in georisks and disaster risk reduction; responsible georesources management; ethical and social aspects in geoeducation and geoscience communication; geoethics applied to different geoscience fields including economic geology, paleontology, forensic geology and medical geology; ethical and societal relevance of geoheritage and geodiversity; sociological aspects in geosciences and geosciences-society-policy interface; geosciences for sustainable and responsible development; geoethical implications in global and local changes of socio-ecological systems; ethics in geoengineering; ethical issues in climate change and ocean science studies; ethical implications in geosciences data life cycle and big data; ethical and social matters in the international geoscience cooperation.
What is Geoethics?
Geoethics consists of research and reflection on the values which underpin appropriate behaviours and practices, wherever human activities interact with the Earth system. Geoethics deals with the ethical, social and cultural implications of geoscience education, research and practice, and with the social role and responsibility of geoscientists in conducting their activities.....
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Affiliations and Agreements
IAPG promotes geoethics through the international collaboration with Associations and Institutions. IAPG has:
7 affiliations, 30 agreements for cooperation, 5 partnerships.
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IUGS Officers meet the IUGS President on 17 March 2022
Speakers at the Short Course on Geoethics
EGU 2015: IAPG informal meeting
IUGS Officers meet the IUGS President on 17 March 2022
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25-31 August 2024
Busan (Republic of Korea)
Geoethics at the IGC 2024
The Call for Abstracts is open - Deadline: 16 February 2024, 24:00 pm (KST, UTC/GMT+09)
International Geological Congress 2024
Thanks to Silvia Peppoloni (IAPG Secretary General and Chair of the IUGS - Commission on Geoethics) and the availability of 37th IGC organizers, geoethics is now included among the themes of the congress for the first time in the history of IGC:
Theme T39 "Geoethics and Societal Relevance of Geosciences":
Convener: Silvia Peppoloni (silvia.peppoloni@ingv.it)
Geoethics and Societal Relevance of Geosciences focus on the ethical considerations and societal implications of geoscientific research and practices. It explores the responsibility of geoscientists to contribute to sustainable development, environmental protection, and social well-being. Geoethics promotes integrity, transparency, and accountability in geoscience research and decision-making processes. It encourages geoscientists to engage with local communities, stakeholders, and policymakers to ensure that geoscientific knowledge is accessible, relevant, and beneficial to society. This field emphasizes the ethical dimensions of geoscience education, professional conduct, and the ethical implications of resource extraction, land use planning, and natural hazard mitigation. By integrating geoethics, geoscientists can foster a more inclusive, responsible, and ethical approach to addressing global challenges.
Under this theme, the IAPG organizes the following session:
Session 1 "Geoethics at the hearth of all geoscience: serving the public good"
Convener: Silvia Peppoloni
Session description: Geoscience knowledge and practice are essential for the functioning of modern societies, in particular for dealing with the global anthropogenic changes of our times. However, how can geosciences serve society? Which societal role can geoscientists play? How should the geoscience-policy interface be managed? How much is ethics important in guiding geoscience decisions and solutions? These are only some of the fundamental questions that modern geoscientists, who are aware of the ethical and societal implications of their profession, should ponder. Geoethics aims to provide an ethical reference framework to answer those and other questions, and to nourish a discussion on the fundamental principles and values, which underpin appropriate behaviours, and practices wherever human activities interact with the Earth system. The complexity of the planetary interactions and world issues requires interdisciplinary approaches and cooperation, capable of synthesizing a range of knowledge, methods, tools and strategies. As any scientist, geoscientists have a responsibility to develop excellent science and international cooperation, transfer scientific outcomes to different stakeholders, as well as improve methods and technologies, which assure people’s safety and a responsible land management, public welfare and sustainable life conditions for present and future generations, while respecting biodiversity and geodiversity. Geoscientists, who are aware of their ethical and societal obligations, will be able to put their knowledge at the service of public good and increase society trust in geosciences. The spectrum of topics geoethics deals with includes: philosophical and historical aspects of geoscience, their contemporary relevance and their role in informing methods for effective and ethical decision-making; geoscience professionalism and deontology, research integrity, including issues related to harassment, discrimination, equity and inclusion in geosciences; ethical and social problems related to the management of land, subsoil, air and water, including environmental changes, pollution and their impacts; socio-environmentally sustainable supply of georesources (including energy, minerals and water), recognising the importance of effective regulation and policy-making, social acceptance, and understanding and promoting best practices; resilience of society related to natural and anthropogenic hazards, risk management and mitigation strategies; ethical aspects of geoscience education and communication, and their societal relevance, as well as culture and value of geodiversity, geoconservation, geoheritage, geoparks and geotourism; role of geosciences in achieving socio-economic development that respects cultures, traditions and local development paths, regardless of countries' wealth, and in promoting peace, responsible and sustainable development and intercultural exchange. Conveners invite colleagues to present experiences, considerations, methods, questions, best practices, and also case studies to enrich and explore the ethical, social, and cultural aspects of geoscience knowledge and practice, to address local and global challenges, such as climate change solutions, natural resources management, risk reduction, conservation of geoheritage, geoscience communication and education strategies. The session aims to provide food for thought and create connections between scholars from different disciplinary fields, in order to build a genuine geoscience community, open to cross-fertilization with other scientific and humanities communities. The session is co-sponsored by International Association for Promoting Geoethics (https://www.geoethics.org) and International Union of Geological Sciences (https://www.iugs.org).
37th IGC website:
19 - 21 May 2024
Florence (Italy)
Geoethics at the Centennial Celebration and Congress of IUSS
The Call for Abstracts is open - Deadline: 15 January 2024
Centennial Celebration and Congress of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS)
"100 years of soil science past achievements and future challenges"
Theme: Soil and humanity
Session 132332 "Soil science and geoethics: Contributing to create a more sustainable society"
Conveners: Silvia Peppoloni (Italy), Anna Krzywoszynska (Finland), Giuseppe Di Capua (Italy)
Description:
Managing soil is central to human societies, and soil impoverishment through anthropic overexploitation is a global threat in time of global ecological crisis. Consequently, soil science is increasingly fundamental in creating a sustainable and eco-friendly society. In this session, we wish to reflect on the ethical importance of soil science work at the service of human well-being while respecting ecosystem elements and dynamics. We specifically refer to geoethics: an ethics of responsibility towards the Earth system, which can provide a reference framework in decision-making and problem-solving.
What are the ethical obligations of soil science in relation to societal and ecological well-being? What ethical values underpin soil science today and throughout history? Do we need to rethink geoethics in the Anthropocene? How do we embed social and ecological ethics in soil science teaching and practice?
Soil scientists face critical ethical issues and dilemmas in their professional and civic roles as they search for answers to the following critical questions aiming to find a balance in serving society, fostering public trust in soil science, and protecting ecosystems:
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How to manage soils in responsible ways and support the life of billions of human beings without losing soil productivity, nutrients and biodiversity?
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How to interact in a just and equitable way with indigenous cultures and knowledge systems in soil management?
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What can we learn from history of soil science for trying to avoid errors in soil use and management in a world of changing climate?
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How has soil scientist’s societal role changed in the last decades and how can it evolve in the future?
This session aims to stimulate reflections by collecting disciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary contributions on ethical aspects of soil sciences, aiming to enrich the discussion of the soil scientist community on problems related to intra-disciplinary questions, soil science-society interface, the future of soil science in the Anthropocene. It is a joint session between IUSS and International Association for Promoting Geoethics.
14-19 April 2024
Vienna (Austria) and online
Geoethics at the EGU 2024
The Call for Abstracts is open - Deadline: 10 January 2024, 13:00 CET
Session EOS4.4
Geoethics: The significance of geosciences for society and the environment
Conveners: Silvia Peppoloni and Giuseppe Di Capua
Session description: Geoscience knowledge and practices are essential for effectively navigating the complexities of the modern world. They play a critical role in addressing urgent global challenges on a planetary scale, informing decision-making processes, and guiding education at all levels. By equipping citizens with the necessary tools, geosciences empower them to engage in meaningful discussions, shape policies, and implement solutions for local, regional, and global social-environmental problems. Geoethics strives to establish a shared ethical framework that guides geoscientists' engagement with sensitive issues concerning the interaction between geoscience and society. The goal of this session is to encourage a comprehensive discussion encompassing the following range of topics:
- philosophical and historical aspects of geoscience (including addressing the contributions of geoscience to colonial history and practices), their contemporary significance and how they inform methods for making decisions that are both effective and ethical;
- geoscience professionalism and deontology, research integrity and issues related to harassment and discrimination, gender and disability in geosciences;
- ethical and social questions related to the management of land, air and water including environmental changes, pollution and their impacts;
- socio-environmentally sustainable supply of georesources (such as energy, minerals and water), effective regulation and policy-making in managing resources responsibly, social acceptance, and best practices;
- professional practices in geosciences and their impact on the environment, and implementation of new practices to reduce it;
- resilience of society related to natural and anthropogenic hazards, risk management and mitigation strategies, including adaptation knowledge and solutions;
- ethical aspects of geoscience education and communication, with a specific focus on innovative methods and initiatives;
- culture and value of geodiversity, geoconservation, geoheritage, geoparks and geotourism;
- role of geosciences in promoting socio-economic development that respects cultures, traditions, and local development paths, regardless of a country's wealth, and in fostering peace, responsible and sustainable development, and in facilitating intercultural exchange.
Session co-organized by BG8/ERE1/GM12/HS13/OS5/SSS1 and co-sponsored by International Association for Promoting Geoethics and IUGS Commission on Geoethics (www.geoethics.org).
Session EOS4.8 EDI
Climate and ocean change communication, education and geoethics: Crisis, crime, survival, war, …
Conveners: David Crookall, Giuseppe Di Capua, Svitlana Krakovska, Bärbel Winkler, Dean Page
Session description: Last year (2023) many records were broken. For example, Simone Biles’ magnificent feat in gymnastics. However, her record pales into insignificance in face of other records that have fallen, such as those for temperatures on Earth. In July 2023, the global mean temperature exceeded the Paris 1.5°C threshold above preindustrial levels. The global sea surface temperature for July reached new highs. See https://climate.copernicus.eu/july-2023-sees-multiple-global-temperature-records-broken. “The world is heading towards 2-3°C of global warming. This sets Earth on course to cross multiple dangerous tipping points that will be disastrous for people across the world. To maintain liveable conditions on Earth, protect people from rising extremes, and enable stable societies, we must do everything possible to prevent crossing tipping points” Rockström (2022). We talk about climate change, but the ocean is also changing. Indeed, it is impossible to separate climate and ocean, especially as global phenomena. Both climate and ocean change are fundamentally symptoms of ‘deeper’ dynamics, such as overshoot (going beyond limits and boundaries) and unsustainability (see work by Jancovici, Meadows, Rahmstorf, Rees, Rockström, Steffen, et al.). This state of affairs raises fundamental, existential questions in regard to climate and ocean education, communication and geoethics. What should be prioritized? Who should be educated (youth, students, politicians, oil barons, …)? How should any effective education be accomplished? What type of communication should be emphasized? With what expectation for positive results? How realistic should we be in our objectives? What geoethical principles can guide us in looking for answers? What does science, experience and wisdom have to offer? These questions are relevant, mutatis mutandis, to related threats, such as biodiversity, pollution, food security and fossil-fuel-driven war. We welcome presentations on a broad range of topics, from hands-on geo-communication of all kinds, through pedagogical ideas and practices, curriculum matters and research, to policy and its implementation. Come and share your experience, your ideas, your anger, your vision, your research, your drive, your actions, your success, … .
You are also invited to contribute to a special issue (SI) of the EGU journal Geoscience Communication: https://www.geoscience-communication.net/articles_and_preprints/scheduled_sis.html.
Session co-organized by OS5 and co-sponsored by International Association for Promoting Geoethics (www.geoethics.org).
Details about these sessions (EOS4.4 and EOS4.8):
16 November 2023
Florence (Italy)
Landslides, ethics, and society at the 6th WLF
6th World Landslide Forum "Landslide Science for Sustainable Development"
Theme 1 - Session 1.4
Landslides and society: cultural, educational, ethical, and social aspects in sustainable landslide risk reduction
Chairs: Matjaž Mikoš, Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, Beena Ajmera, Peter T. Bobrowsky
16 November 2023 - Hall 1A
- 08:30-10:30 (Chairs: Matjaž Mikoš, Slovenia; Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, Mexico)
- 11:00-13:00 (Chairs: Peter T. Bobrowsky, Canada; Beena Ajmera, USA)
This session is supported by the IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics.
WLF6 website: https://wlf6.org/
IAPG and WOMEESA signed a MoU
The International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) and the Women in Earth and Environmental Sciences in Australasia network (WOMEESA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 15 August 2023.
The aim of the MoU is to develop a coordinated approach, where appropriate, for promoting initiatives and events on gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in the geosciences, as well as on the ethical, social, and cultural implications of geosciences, and favoring high ethical standards in the research and practice of geoscience in order to better serve the geoscience community and society as a whole. WOMEESA agrees to support the “Cape Town Statement on Geoethics” (that contains the Geoethical Promise, an Hippocratic-like oath for geoscientists, https://www.geoethics.org/ctsg) and agrees to be included in the list of supporting organizations of the statement. WOMEESA (https://www.womeesa.net/) is a non-for-profit initiative that brings together Earth and Environmental Scientists through Australasia. The objectives of WOMEESA are to: (a) promote gender equity and women in Earth and Environmental Sciences and related fields across all industries in the Australasia region; (b) provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and knowledge towards gender equity in Earth and Environmental Sciences and related fields; and (c) serve as a link between various Australasian and international organisations and individuals with interest in achieving gender equity in Earth and Environmental Sciences and related fields.
IAPG and IUSS signed a MoU
The International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) and the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in May 2023.
Both organizatons agreed that IUSS and IAPG are facing a future of challenging soil and geologic resources use and management issues. IUSS and IAPG will use their best effort to promote the formal co-operation by obtaining the necessary support for envisaged activities. The partnership generally aims at developing new knowledge, sharing experiences, and distributing knowledge and skills for the benefit of the whole world.
The IUSS is the global union of soil scientists. The objectives of the IUSS are to promote all branches of soil science, and to support all soil scientists across the world in the pursuit of their activities.
Follow the IUGS Commission on Geoethics on:
The new IUGS Commission on Geoethics
On 16 February 2023, the IUGS - International Union of Geological Sciences has officially established the Commission on Geoethics (CG). The proposal for creating the CG was presented at the 78th IUGS Executive Committee (EC) meeting in Belfast (UK) by Silvia Peppoloni (past IUGS Councilor and Secretary General of the International Association for Promoting Geoethics - IAPG) (photo on the right).
The CG will be the supporting branch of the IAPG to the IUGS and the IUGS body that officially deals with geoethics and social geosciences for the Union.
The CG has a light structure made up of a Governing Board, a Supportive Structure, and an Operative Structure consisting of Task Groups working on specific issues. Among them, there is the task group dealing with diversity, equity, and inclusion, which takes the baton from the existing IUGS task group dedicated to those issues.
The core business of the CG consists of the following activities, to be developed in cooperation with the IAPG:
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Drafting and updating ethical guidelines for the IUGS.
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Supporting the IUGS (officers and bodies) regarding questions such as unprofessional conduct, misconduct, harassment, retaliation, racism, sexism, conflicts of interest and others.
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Fostering the participation of women in activities, events, and other initiatives organized or supported by the IUGS with the aim of reducing the gender gap and increasing diversity.
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Cooperating with IUGS bodies to focus on geoethical issues or other themes of mutual interests.
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Contributing to IUGS events (congresses, including the International Geological Congress - ICG, conferences, videos, webinar, etc.) or any other scientific or public events.
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Supporting the IUGS in developing activities at the geoscience-policy interface and delicate issues related to geoscience-society interaction.
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Promoting the adoption of the Geoethical Promise within Universities and geoscience organizations.
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Organizing events that address ethical and social implications of geoscience knowledge, research, practice, education, and communication.
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Training on geoethics, professional ethics, data ethics, and publication ethics.
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Networking with geoscience (affiliated or not to the IUGS) and humanities organizations to create opportunities for bridging geosciences and human and social sciences.
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Fostering opportunities to increase the impact of IUGS in Latin American and African countries by promoting activities to foster the culture of geosciences among local geoscience communities.
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Supporting the IUGS in enlarging its network in countries in which the presence of the IUGS is missing or to be developed/increased.
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Preparing an annual report containing the outcomes of the reference year, a plan of activities for the new year, and a financial request to the IUGS. The annual report will contain results, activities, events, publications, or any kind of outcomes of the IAPG to be considered as outcomes of the CG.
GC dedicated web pages are hosted on the IAPG website (https://www.geoethics.org/iugs-cg).
In addition, the CG has its official social media pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iugs.geoethics/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9314437/
AGU Ethical Framework for Climate Intervention
From AGU website:
Climate change requires urgent action. Increasingly, the world is considering dramatic climate intervention approaches—often called geoengineering. Many of these approaches are untested and the consequences are not well understood. In 2022, AGU launched its plan to develop an Ethical Framework for Climate Intervention Research, Experimentation and Deployment—a code of conduct to guide climate intervention measures that may be needed in addition to emissions reduction.
JGSG published its fourth article!
The Journal of Geoethics and Social Geoscience published its fourth, open access, article on 29 May 2023.
The article can be cited as follows:
A new book on geotourism
Mamoon Allan and Ross Dowling (Eds.)
Geotourism in the Middle East
2023, Springer, Cham, XV+278 pp., ISBN 978-3031241727. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24170-3
This book contain the following chapter on geoethics:
Peppoloni S. and Di Capua G. (2023). The Significance of Geotourism Through the Lens of Geoethics. In Allan M. and Dowling R. (Eds.), Geotourism in the Middle East, Springer, Cham, pp. 41-52. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24170-3_3
JGSG published its third article!
The Journal of Geoethics and Social Geoscience published its third, open access, article on 25 May 2023.
We remind you that this journal is dimond open access and is supported by the IAPG. No Article Processing Charge (APC) is requested to authors and no fee is paid by readers.
The article can be cited as follows:
JGSG published its second article!
The Journal of Geoethics and Social Geoscience published its second, open access, article on 20 March 2023.
We remind you that this journal is dimond open access and is supported by the IAPG. No Article Processing Charge (APC) is requested to authors and no fee is paid by readers.
The article can be cited as follows:
International Women's Day 2023
Invited introductive talk by Silvia Peppoloni (IAPG Secretary General and Chair of the IUGS - Commission on Geoethics) to the 3rd Conference of Peruvian Women in Geosciences, organized by IAPG-Peru to celebrate the International Women's Day, 8 March 2023:
New book on geoethics published in the SpringerBriefs in Geoethics series
Di Capua G. and Oosterbeek L. (2023). Bridges to Global Ethics: Geoethics at the Confluence of Humanities and Sciences. Springer, Cham, VII+115 pp., ISBN 978-3031222221. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22223-8
This book contributes to the current discussion on geoethics and global ethics within the geoscience and humanities communities. It provides new content and insights into developing convergent human actions in response to global anthropogenic changes, based on perspectives that make it possible to combine geoscience knowledge with humanities and social sciences approaches. Selected authors present their reflections, findings and insights regarding the vision of geoethics (ethics of responsibility towards the Earth) as global ethics from philosophical, humanities and social sciences perspectives. In addition, they discuss ethical frameworks from diverse cultural traditions, searching for points of intersection with geoethics.
The goal: for global environmental problems to be managed via multi-perspective approaches that can more effectively accommodate complexity. Combining the strengths of the geosciences, humanities and social sciences can pave the way for a paradigm shift in how human societies develop adaptive, sustainable responses to environmental changes and societal inequalities.
- Download the book front matter (pdf file)
Book on geoethics published by Springer
Peppoloni S. and Di Capua G. (2022). Geoethics: Manifesto for an Ethics of Responsibility Towards the Earth. Springer, Cham, XII+123 pp., ISBN 978-3030980436. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98044-3
This book outlines the current development of geoethical thinking, proposing to the general public reflections and categories useful for understanding the ethical, cultural, and societal dimensions of anthropogenic global changes.
Geoethics identifies and orients responsible behaviors and actions in the management of natural processes, redefining the human interaction with the Earth system based on a critical, scientifically grounded, and pragmatic approach. Solid scientific knowledge and a philosophical reference framework are crucial to face the current ecological disruption. The scientific perspective must be structured to help different human contexts while respecting social and cultural diversity. It is impossible to respond to global problems with disconnected local actions, which cannot be proposed as standard and effective operational models. Geoethics tries to overcome this fragmentation, presenting Earth sciences as the foundation of responsible human action toward the planet. Geoethics is conceived as a rational and multidisciplinary language that can bind and concretely support the international community, engaged in resolving global environmental imbalances and complex challenges, which have no national, cultural, or religious boundaries that require shared governance. Geoethics is proposed as a new reading key to rethinking the Earth as a system of complex relationships, in which the human being is an integral part of natural interactions.
JGSG published its first article!
We are happy to announce that the Journal of Geoethics and Social Geoscience published its first, open access, article on 14 December 2022.
We remind you that this journal is fully open access and is supported by the IAPG. No Article Processing Charge (APC) is requested to authors.
The article can be cited as follows:
Canseco, R., & Bellaubi, F. (2022). Application of geoethics to university education based on a mining geoethical dilemma case study in the Catalonian Potassic Basin (Spain). Journal of Geoethics and Social Geosciences, 1(1), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.13127/jgsg-24.
IUGS Zumaia Declaration on geological heritage
The IAPG is among the supporting organizations of the Zumaia Declaration on geological heritage that was officially released on 28 October 2022 at the event "First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites" held in Zumaia (Basque Coast, Spain).
In this document, the International Union of Geological Sciences - IUGS declares the following:
Recognizing and preserving Geological Heritage is critical. The IUGS adopts the mission to acknowledge Geological Heritage of highest scientific importance. Collaboration between all international initiatives involved with geoheritage and geodiversity can lead to their further appreciation, to their sustainable use as educational resources, and, most importantly, to their preservation for the good of society, for future generations, and for our Planet’s well-being.
- Download the Zumaia Declaration (pdf file)
- Website of the "First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites"
- More about the "First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites" on the Geoparkea website
Declaration against war and authoritarianism
for the affirmation of human freedom and dignity
Planet Earth, 26th February 2022
The International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) expresses its solidarity with all the people who are experiencing their present situation with difficulty and fear due to armed conflicts and who are suffering the repression of fundamental freedoms by authoritarian regimes.
We are close to colleagues from our section in Ukraine who are suffering from the invasion of their nation and are trying to resist the barbarism of war. We are also close to those Russian scientists and intellectuals who are courageously manifesting their rejection of war and demanding the right to peace.
Likewise, we cannot forget our colleagues in Myanmar who are experiencing government repression and our colleagues in Afghanistan, including those of the local IAPG section, for the harsh living conditions in which freedom, health and safety are not guaranteed. We are also close to our colleagues in Yemen, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in all those countries in which governments or groups of powers don’t respect the fundamental Human Rights of United Nations.
The IAPG rejects war and oppression for the resolution of conflicts and supports all those who fight for the affirmation of human dignity and for freedom from the oppression of dictatorships and fundamentalisms.
We strongly affirm that all human beings must be guaranteed dignity, freedom and knowledge. Everyone has the right to be able to live in freedom, health and safety and at the same time has the duty to responsibly guarantee freedom, health and safety to other human beings.
We are convinced that power must be implemented as a responsible exercise of community service, for the construction of more just, equitable, inclusive, supportive, peaceful, sustainable and ecologically oriented societies.
The revival of nationalistic models is anachronistic and represents a real threat to humanity, which instead, precisely in the recognition of its unity, albeit in the diversity of the cultures that constitute it, is beginning to cultivate that feeling of planetary citizenship that can accompany it towards a future of solidarity.
We invite the international scientific community, geosciences organizations and beyond, to sign this declaration.
Support this declaration by sending an email to: iapgeoethics@gmail.com
Download the IAPG Declaration
as pdf file
IAPG endorses the eLearning Course "Practical Geocommunication"
Dear IAPG member,
IAPG has recently endorsed the eLearning course ‘Practical Geocommunication’ offered by Geologize Ltd. Geologize teaches geoscientists to bring the public to a great understanding and appreciation of our planet through effective and powerful communication.
To find out more about the course, please check out the following video:
https://youtu.be/jQDZxDZnUC8
As a member of an endorsing association, you now have a 70% discount on the usual course price.
Your unique access code is: iapg-pggz
Here’s how to start your learning experience!
1) Head over to https://training.geologize.org/courses/geocomms
2) Click on 'BUY'
3) Register (Free)
4) Click on the link ‘Have a coupon?’
5) Enter the code above. This applies the 70% discount.
6) Pay the remaining value.
7) Start learning!
The number of times this coupon can be used is limited to the current membership of the IAPG, so I kindly request that it not be shared with those outside the IAPG.
Learners follow the course at their own pace and you will have lessons, quizzes, assignments and the opportunity to interact directly with myself, Dr Haydon Mort. A certificate is provided at the end of the course, with the seals of the IAPG, The Geological Society of London and the European Federation of Geologists, who also endorse the course.
All the best,
Haydon Mort
---------------------------------------------------
Dr. Haydon Mort
CEO-Director Geologize Ltd
Geologist, Science Communicator
Article: Geoethics: The Missing Piece in the Separation of Responsibility Between Volcanologists and Decision-Makers.
It can be cited as follows:
Peppoloni S., Woo G., Martí J., and Di Capua G. (2023). Geoethics: The Missing Piece in the Separation of Responsibility Between Volcanologists and Decision-Makers. In Malheiro A., Fernandes F., Chaminé H.I. (Eds.), Advances in Natural Hazards and Volcanic Risks: Shaping a Sustainable Future. NATHAZ 2022. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham, 19-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25042-2_4.
Article: Geoethics to Face Natural Risks by Improving Societal Resilience.
It can be cited as follows:
Peppoloni S. (2023). Geoethics to Face Natural Risks by Improving Societal Resilience. In Malheiro A., Fernandes F., Chaminé H.I. (Eds.), Advances in Natural Hazards and Volcanic Risks: Shaping a Sustainable Future. NATHAZ 2022. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham, 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25042-2_1.
Article: Geotourism and geoethics as support for rural development in the Knjaževac municipality, Serbia.
It can be cited as follows:
Marjanović M., Radivojević A.R., Antić A., Peppoloni S., Di Capua G., Lazarević J., Marković R.S., Tomić N., Milićević A.L., Langović Z., Mišić I. and Marković S.B. (2022).
Geotourism and geoethics as support for rural development in the Knjaževac municipality, Serbia.
Open Geosciences, 14(1), 794-812. https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2022-0388
Article: Sustainable Production of Rare Earth Elements from Mine Waste and Geoethics.
It can be cited as follows:
Jouini M., Royer-Lavallée A., Pabst T., Chung E., Kim R., Cheong Y.-W. and Neculita C.M. (2022).
Sustainable Production of Rare Earth Elements from Mine Waste and Geoethics.
Minerals, 12(7), 809. https://doi.org/10.3390/min12070809
Article: Science and Citizen Collaboration as Good Example of Geoethics for Recovering a Natural Site in the Urban Area of Rome (Italy).
It can be cited as follows:
Procesi M., Di Capua G., Peppoloni S., Corirossi M. and Valentinelli A. (2022)
Science and Citizen Collaboration as Good Example of Geoethics for Recovering a Natural Site in the Urban Area of Rome (Italy)
Sustainability, 14(8), 4429. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084429
Book: Teaching Geoethics
This e-Book was a deliverable of the Erasmus+ project GOAL "Geoethics Outcomes and Awareness Learning". It can be downloaded for free and cited as follows:
Vasconcelos Clara, Schneider-Voß Susanne, and Peppoloni Silvia (Eds.)
Teaching Geoethics
Resources for higher education
2020, U.Porto Edições, 207 pp., https://doi.org/10.24840/978-989-746-254-2
Cape Town Statement on Geoethics
It sums up all the values, concepts, contents developed by IAPG, giving a perspective for the future development of geoethics. Supported by 22 geoscience organizations and available in 35 languages
Geoethical Promise
A Hippocratic-like oath for geoscientists, originally proposed at the 34th IGC-International Geological Congress in Brisbane (Australia). Translated in 35 languages
Journal of Geoethics and Social Geosciences
Articles on the ethical, social and cultural implications of geosciences, and on study and research aimed at accompanying safe and sustainable development policies for human communities, transdisciplinary food for thoughts and proposals aimed at addressing global anthropogenic changes
SpringerBriefs
in Geoethics
It envisions a series of short publications that aim to discuss ethical, social, and cultural implications of geosciences knowledge, education, research, practice and communication.
Ethical Considerations for Responsible Geological Fieldwork and Sampling
(by Enrico Cameron, Italy)
"Geological fieldwork and sampling play a crucial role in broadening our comprehension of the Earth’s complexities. Geoscientists should conduct these activities ethically, with respect for both the natural world and the communities they engage with. This responsibility becomes even more crucial when working on Indigenous lands, where acknowledging the historical context and upholding cultural values are paramount"
Read the article in the IAPG Blog
The Indigenous Groundwater Declaration of the Australian Chapter of the IAH
(by Enrico Cameron, Italy)
"In November 2022 the Australian Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) has put forward the Indigenous Groundwater Declaration to foster the respect and inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in groundwater activities, deliberations, decisions, and policies."
Read the article in the IAPG Blog
On the Ground: Ending the Hell of Scotland’s Conifer Plantations
(by Patrick Phillips, Scotland, United Kingdom)
"When one encounters a plantation in Scotland one has not entered into an ethical space (nor holistic) they have entered into a kind of ontological hell. Hell, for every pre-existing and existing ecosystem that enabled life to flourish in the first place and hell for our Scottish communities through persistent transient sensations. Plantations are critically therefore not natural forests, as one might assume at first glance but instead a form (therefore space) of ‘modern’ alienation."
Read the article in the IAPG Blog
An exploration: from the history of science for geo-philosophical studies
(by Martin Bohle, Germany)
"This essay has an educational objective: the tools for geo-philosophical enquiries, i.e., studies in geoethics. In the first instance, geoethics emerged as an intra-disciplinary endeavour in responsible geosciences. During the last few years, geoethics’ scope expanded [1] [2]. Therefore, my study programme is aggregating insights from other disciplines, iteratively reconstructing geo-philosophical enquiries, and continuously consolidating philosophical foundations. ..."
Read the article in the IAPG Blog
The era of crises: facing the choices to build the future
(by Silvia Peppoloni, Italy)
"For about fifteen years I have been dedicated to the development and promotion of geoethics around the world. When I speak of geoethics, I refer to an ethics of responsibility of the human being towards the Earth system; a geosophy, a "knowledge" of the functioning of the Earth, which in the human being translates into Aristotelian phronesis, a wisdom capable of directing choices, a wisdom of living the Earth, which presupposes the awareness of the human position and condition in the great natural architecture. ..."
Read the article in the IAPG Blog
Ontology as the quality or essence of existence
(by Patrick Phillips, Scotland, United Kingdom)
Patrick Phillips, writer, artist and environmental guide offers us his personal vision of the deep relationship that binds humans to nature, through his experience of life in a mountain village in Scotland with a short introduction to his book "Eternal Mountain: Essays from Afar" (Expressive Press, June 2021).
Read the article in the IAPG Blog
Teaching Geoethics
Books on Geoethics
White Papers
Research Integrity
In evidence
The Global Risks Report 2023
(Insight Report, 18th Edition. In partnership with Marsh & McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group)
World Economic Forum, 2023
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
(Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)])
February, 2022
Biodiversity and Climate Change
Scientific Outcome of the IPBES-IPCC co-sponsored workshop
June 2021
In the Section 4.2 "Human and Social Dimensions" (page 49) you can read the following sentences, that include also the definition of geoethics by IAPG:
"Ethical behaviour with respect to nature (“geoethics”) is at the core of several discussions regarding adaptation. The values which underpin appropriate behaviours and practices wherever human activities interact with the Earth system play an important role in the awareness of society regarding problems with biodiversity and NCP. Ethical, social, and cultural implications of both scientific knowledge and humankind’s role as an active geological force on the planet and the ethical responsibility that this implies need to be addressed in every plan of action (Bobrowsky et al., 2017). This includes equity issues linked to biodiversity related interventions. These are often not distributionally neutral and have equity implications both within and between generations."
The paper on geoethics cited in the document is:
Bobrowsky, P., Cronin, V. S., Di Capua, G., Kieffer, S. W., & Peppoloni, S. (2017). The emerging field of geoethics. Sci. Integr. Ethics Geosci, 73, 175.
This paper can be read here:
Lisbon Declaration on Humanities, Open Research and Innovation
Result of the European Humanities Conference 2021
Lisbon, 7 May 2021
This document is supported by the IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics
Guidelines for geoconservation in protected and conserved areas
(by Crofts R., Gordon J.E., Brilha J., Gray M., Gunn J., Larwood J., Santucci V.L., Tormey D., and Worboys G.L.)
Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 31. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-2079-1, doi:10.2305/IUCN.CH.2020.PAG.31.en.
IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2020
Global Research Report
Research Integrity: Understanding our shared responsibility for a sustainable scholarly ecosystem
(by Szomszor M. and Quaderi N., Institute for Scientific Information)
October 2020
Promoting Gender Diversity and Inclusion in the Oil, Gas and Mining Extractive Industries
A Women’s Human Rights Report
(by R. Park, B. Metzger, and L. Foreman)
The Advocates for Human Rights, January 2019
White Paper on Citizen Science for Europe
(by Sanz F.S., Holocher-Ertl T., Kieslinger B., Sanz García F. and Silva C.G.)
European Commission, 2014
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
On 25 September 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.
Latest (click on the picture):
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Survey on The Culture and Ethics of Geologic Sampling
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Yuriy Kostyuchenko passed away on 16 March 2023
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Minigeology interviewed Peter Bobrowsky on geoethics
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IAPG endorses the Jena Declaration
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IAPG is partner of the Earth Future Festival (EFF)
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The International Geodiversity Day was established by UNESCO
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MinerLima 2022
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Peace, serenity and health for the holiday season and new year (25 December 2022)
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Peter Bobrowsky awarded by the IUGS
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Croatian Geological Society supports the Cape Town Statement on Geoethics and provided its translation in Croatian