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EGU - General Assembly 2026

3-8 May 2026 

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​The General Assembly 2026 of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) is held at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV) in Vienna, Austria, from 3 to 8 May 2026. The assembly is open to the scientists of all nations. The entire congress centre is fully accessible by wheelchairs.

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IAPG, IUGS Commission on Geoethics, and the CIPSH Chair on Geoethics co-sponsor the Session EOS4.1 "Geoethics: Linking Geoscience Knowledge, Ethical Responsibility, and Action", the Short Course SC1.11 "Grappling with geoethical values and principles: A hands-on, participatory workshop", and the Great Debate GDB2 "The ethics of using Artificial Intelligence in the Geosciences - Opportunities and Risks".​​​

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EGU26 website: https://www.egu26.eu/

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​EOS4.1: Geoethics: Linking Geoscience Knowledge, Ethical Responsibility, and Action

​Conveners 

Silvia Peppoloni, David Croookall, Giuseppe Di Capua, Anita Di Chiara

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Session description

Geoscientists play a key role in providing essential information in decision-making processes that consider environmental, social, and economic consequences of geoscience work. Therefore, their responsibilities extend beyond scientific analysis alone. Global challenges, such as climate change, resource management, and disaster risk reduction, push geoscientists to expand their role beyond research and to engage ethically in public efforts.
Geoethics provides a framework for reflecting on the ethical, social, and cultural implications of geoscience in research, practice, and education, guiding responsible action for society and the environment. It also encourages the scientific community to move beyond purely technical solutions by embracing just, inclusive, and transformative approaches to socio-environmental issues.
Furthermore, science is inseparable from social and geopolitical contexts. These conditions shape what research is funded, whose knowledge is valued, with whom we collaborate, and who has access to conferences. As Earth and planetary scientists, we must consider the human and environmental consequences of our work. This is especially true in Earth observation, where many satellites have both scientific and military applications, and where scientific tools have at times enabled ecocide and resource exploitation under neocolonial systems.
This session will offer insights and reflections across a wide range of topics, from theoretical considerations to case studies, foster awareness and discussion of sensitive issues at the geoscience–society interface and explore how geoethics can guide responsible behavior and policies in the geosciences.

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​Co-organized by CL3.2/ERE1/SM9/SSS12, co-sponsored by IAPG, IUGS Commission on Geoethics, and CIPSH Chair on Geoethics

 

Programme:

  • Orals | Monday, 04 May 2026, 14:00–18:00 (CEST), Room D3

  • Posters on site | Attendance Monday, 04 May 2026, 10:45–12:30 (CEST) | Display Monday, 04 May 2026, 08:30–12:30, Hall X1 

  • Posters virtual | Friday, 08 May 2026, 14:15–15:45 (CEST), vPoster spot 5, Friday, 08 May 2026, 16:15–18:00 (CEST), vPoster

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Orals (Room D3 - 4 May 2026, 14:00-18:00 CEST):

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Chairpersons: Silvia Peppoloni, Giuseppe Di Capua

Chairpersons: Anita Di Chiara, David Crookall

 

Posters (Room Hall X1 - 4 May 2026, 08:30-12:30 CEST, attendance 10:45–12:30 CEST):

 

Chairpersons: Giuseppe Di Capua, David Crookall

 

Posters virtual (vPoster spot 5 VPS1 - 8 May 2026, 14:00–18:00 CEST, discussion time 16:15–18:00 CEST):

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Chairpersons: Ignacio Aguirre, Anita Di Chiara, Zoltán ErdÅ‘s

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Session EOS4.1

Short Course SC1.11

Great Debate GDB2

Other events

EOS4.1
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IAPG sessions at EGU from 2012
(15 years of IAPG sessions on geoethics at the EGU General Assembly)

EGU Geoethics Working Group.png
SC1.11

SC1.11: Grappling with geoethical values and principles: A hands-on, participatory workshop

​Conveners

David Crookall, Giuseppe Di Capua, Berill Blair, Pimnutcha Promduangsri, Sebastián Granados

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Session description

Values clarification exercises are often used to enable people together to work through complex issues in which differing, contradictory, unexplicated or hidden values may influence beliefs, principles and behaviours, including decisions. Such exercises allow us to become more aware of the ways in which values relate to our geoethical principles and behaviours. Values include such things as truth, discipline, fairness, integrity and openness.

It is difficult to help people learn about geoethics. This is partly because it concerns such a wide range of circumstances, from specific instances, such as the effect of mining on child labour, through our personal geoscientific behaviour, to the way in which humans treat the Earth’s natural resources. It is also not easy, particularly in schools and universities, because the concepts are so wide-ranging and young people are still exploring and getting to grips with their personal values, values that underlie their principles and behaviours, especially in regard to the Earth.

Practical geoethical values clarification exercises can help people:

  • to compare their values with others and thus to modify their and others’ values;

  • to clarify the relationship between geoethical principles and their underlying values; and

  • to understand how their values and principles influence their behaviours, in regard to fellow geoscientists and to the Earth’s natural resources.

This Short Course will be conducted in a fully participatory, workshop format:
a. starting with short overviews of geoethics and of clarification exercises;
b. followed by a series of hands-on, small-group activities; and
c. ending with a debriefing session and a discussion.

Both experts and novices in geoethics and values/principles are welcome in this Short Course; teachers, researchers and students will benefit. For novices, especially, a little preparation before the course will help.
If possible:

Please note that materials will allow up to 12 participants, on a first-come basis. Additional people will be invited to do guided observation in silence during the exercise, and then contribute actively during the debriefing and discussion.

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Co-organized by EOS4

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When:

Wednesday, 06 May 2026, 10:45–12:30 (CEST), Room 0.55

GDB2

GDB2: The ethics of using Artificial Intelligence in the Geosciences - Opportunities and Risks

​Conveners

Jens Klump, Alice-Agnes Gabriel, Giuseppe Di Capua

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Session description

In 2025, the Commission on Geoethics of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) developed recommendations for the ethical application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in geosciences. The report discusses eight themes where ethical concerns surrounding AI are particularly relevant to the geosciences: human responsibility in AI use; transparency and explainability of AI systems; bias and fairness in data, models and algorithms; protection of personal data and informed consent; stakeholder and community participation; environmental protection; scientific integrity in research, publishing and education; and the geopolitical implications of AI deployment. Moving beyond high-level principles, the report makes actionable recommendations.

As AI capabilities and adoption in the geosciences grow, profound questions arise. In this Great Debate, the panellists will address key issues raised by AI applications and the necessary ethical considerations, and will invite the audience to share their views.​

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Programme

08:30–08:35: Introduction to the session and welcome of the panellists (5 min)

08:35–09:00: Lightning talk by each panellist (5 x 4 minutes plus buffer)

09:00–10:00: Discussion (up to 60 minutes)

10:00–10.15: Closing statements and Wrap-up

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Panellists

Paul H. Cleverley (United Kingdom)
Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem (South Africa)
Mark Lindsay (Australia)
Mrinalini Kochupillai (India)
Marine Denolle (USA)
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When:

Thursday, 07 May 2026, 08:30–10:15 (CEST), Room E1

Other events

TM15: Where do we stand between political will and conditional commitments? A South-American perspective on the COP of Truth

​Conveners

Isabela Burattini Freire, Eduardo Muñoz-Castro, Jamil Alexandre Ayach Anache, Jullian Sone, Gabriela Gesualdo

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Session description

The year 2024 was the warmest on record, with climate-related disasters displacing 46 million people worldwide and natural catastrophes causing $417 billion in economic losses. In South America, the convergence of climate change–driven temperature anomalies, deforestation, and El Niño triggered severe droughts, resulting in unprecedented agricultural losses, escalating water-use conflicts, and rising political instability across commodity-dependent economies. In the Brazilian Amazon, 2024 marked the worst drought in 120 years, directly affecting hundreds of thousands of riverside and Indigenous communities.
Within this challenging climate landscape, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) convened in Belém in 2025 amid high expectations. Framed by Brazil’s president as the “COP of Truth,” the summit aimed to confront climate denial with scientific evidence and expose the gap between political rhetoric and concrete action. Central to this effort was the “Baku-to-Belém Mission to 1.5,” urging countries to clarify and strengthen emissions-reduction and adaptation targets. Yet attempts to raise ambition stalled, revealing deep divisions over a fossil-fuel phase-out roadmap. These tensions crystallized into a “coalition of the willing”, comprising more than 80 countries committed to strengthening emissions-reduction ambitions, in opposition to resistance from major petrostates. Compounding political resistance, meeting the financial needs of countries’ conditional commitments (those dependent on external funding) remains a major hurdle, as developing countries require $1.3 trillion per year by 2035 beyond self-funded targets — a number that is still far from secured.
This raises a central question: caught between countries’ (un)willingness and (un)conditional commitments, what future should we be preparing for? This Townhall brings together South American scientists present in Belém to reflect on progress and challenges ahead. As the world’s most unequal region, South America’s climate transition is inseparable from social policy, making progress especially complex. While rooted in the South American experience, the discussion resonates across global contexts.
We will examine the financial, scientific, and ethical dimensions of climate (un)agreements at COP30, focusing on:

(a) the credibility of climate finance commitments by developed economies;
(b) the role of early career researchers in addressing imbalances in technology access and knowledge transfer; and
(c) the extent to which Indigenous and ethnic minority voices were meaningfully included.
Ultimately, this discussion confronts the unresolved tensions exposed at the “COP of Truth” and explores the road ahead for global climate governance.

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​Panellists

Eduardo Mario Mendiondo (Brazil)
Letícia Santos de Lima (Germany)
Silvia Peppoloni (Italy)
Sebastián Vicuña (Chile)​

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When:

Tuesday, 05 May 2026, 19:00–20:00 (CEST), Room 0.49/50

TM23: The Myth of Neutrality: Geoscience Responsibility in Times of Global Conflict

​Conveners

Stefano Corradini, Marco Cervino, Claudia D'Oriano, Chloe Hill, Alessia Matano, Tomaso Esposti Ongaro

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Session description

In the current geopolitical landscape, the anachronistic view of science as a "neutral space" detached from political and ethical implications, is further exposing its profound limitation. This debate is not new: over seventy years ago, the Russell-Einstein Manifesto reminded the scientific community that technological and theoretical advancements cannot be separated from their consequences on human beings, urging us to 'remember our humanity and forget the rest'. Despite this and a growing body of evidence and epistemologic debates during the last decades, science is still seen as a value-free vacuum within our institutions and for many scholars. However, geoscientists are often drawn to intersect their activities with territories and people affected by conflicts and systemic violations of international law, or with regions scarred by extractive violence and resource exploitation.

This Townhall meeting aims to create a safe and productive space to discuss the transition from a passive "scientific diplomacy" to an active "ethical accountability" within research institutions and international scientific societies.

The goal is to identify collective commitment elements with the help of EGU community, urging researchers to recognize their role, responsibility, and power in the construction of a society that respects human rights and international law. Participants are invited to contribute to the development of a declaration addressing the non-neutrality of science, the refusal to collaborate with institutions involved in war operations, respect for international law and the construction of solidarity programs for scientific/academic communities in conflict zones. Drawing inspiration from recent mobilizations across various prestigious scientific journals (such as The Lancet and Nature), academia and research institutions, and aligned with the European Charter for Researchers, we propose a shift in focus from "research integrity" (avoiding fraud) to "research responsibility" (avoiding complicity, fostering our humanity). We will use collaborative methods (E.g. Brainwriting, Dot Voting, etc, with a strict time control to assure a result) to maximize opportunities for everyone to share their view on the issues under discussion: scientific practice should be impartial but not neutral, institutional silence in the face of documented atrocities can be interpreted as a form of connivance. Making use of the “body or virtual positioning technique”, attendees will address critical and controversial points raised by the global scientific community, including:

  • Beyond Neutrality: Discussing the non-neutrality of science and why the "apolitical" stance is no longer viable when research infrastructure and academic communities are being systematically destroyed (the so-called "scholasticide").

  • Ethical Procurement and Due Diligence: Tackling how to implement protocols to prevent institutional complicity with entities involved in conflicts condemned by international bodies and development/exploitation of dual-use technologies.

  • The Dilemma of Cooperation and the “conscientious objection”: Addressing how to respond to calls, also coming from dissident scholars within affected regions, for a critical review of cooperation agreements with institutions implicated in violations of humanitarian law.

  • Environmental Legacy of War: Using our expertise to monitor and denounce the long-term consequences of conflict, ranging from the contamination of air, soil and water resources to the massive production of toxic debris.

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​Panellists

Eduardo Mario Mendiondo (Brazil)
Letícia Santos de Lima (Germany)
Silvia Peppoloni (Italy)
Sebastián Vicuña (Chile)​

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When:

Monday, 04 May 2026, 19:00–20:00 (CEST), Room 0.49/50

IAPG sessions from 2012

IAPG Sessions on Geoethics at EGU General Assemblies from 2012:

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EGU 2012

NH9.8/EOS9 - Geoethics and natural hazards: communication, education and the science-policy-practice interface (co-organized). 

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, J. Wasowski, P. Reitan, G. Devoli, S.W. Kieffer, E. Lindquist

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EGU 2013

NH9.8 - Geoethics and natural hazards: the role and responsibility of the geoscientists. 

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, S.W. Kieffer, J. Wasowski

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EGU 2014

NH9.8 - Geoethics: Ethical Challenges In Communication, Geoeducation And Management of Natural Hazards.

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, S.W. Kieffer, E. Marone, Y. Kostyuchenko

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EGU 2015

EOS8 - Geoethics for society: General aspects and case studies in geosciences. 

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, N. Bilham, S.W. Kieffer, E. Marone

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EGU 2016

EOS5 - Geoethics: theoretical and practical aspects from research integrity to relationships between geosciences and society.

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, N. Bilham, E. Marone, M. Charrière, T. Mayer

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EGU 2017

EOS14 - Geoethics: ethical, social and cultural implications of geoscience knowledge, education, research and practice.

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, N. Bilham, M. Bohle, G. Di Capua, E. Marone

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EGU 2018

EOS4 - Geoethics: ethical, social and cultural implications of geoscience knowledge, education, communication, research and practice.

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, N. Bilham, M. Bohle, G. Di Capua, E. Marone

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EGU 2019

EOS5.2 - Geoethics: ethical, social and cultural implications of geoscience knowledge, education, communication, research and practice​.

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, M. Bohle, G. Di Capua,  C.M. Keane, J. Rizzi, N. Bilham, V. Correia

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EGU 2020

EOS5.1 - Geoethics: how and why should geosciences serve society?

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, N. Bilham, D. DeMiguel,  E. Marone, S. Schneider-Voss

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EGU 2021

EOS4.2 - Geoethics: Geosciences serving Society

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, G. Di Capua

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EGU 2022

EOS4.1 - Geoethics in the face of global anthropogenic changes: how do we intersect different knowledge domains?

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, G. Di Capua, J. Ludden, L. Oosterbeek, P. Promduangsri, B. Williams

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EGU 2023

EOS4.1 - Geoethics: Geoscience Implications for Professional Communities, Society, and Environment

Conveners: S. Peppoloni, A.-I. Partanen, L. Mimeau, G. Di Capua

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EGU 2024

EOS4.4 - Geoethics: The significance of geosciences for society and the environment
Conveners: S. Peppoloni, S. Krakovska, G. Di Capua, D. Crookall

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EGU 2025

EOS4.3 - Geoethics and Global Anthropogenic Change: Geoscience for Policy, Action and Education in Addressing the Climate and Ecological Crises 
Conveners: S. Peppoloni, D. Crookall, E. Duyck, G. Di Capua, P. Colombo, S. Krakovska, A. Sangianantoni

All rights reserved © 2015-2026

International Association for Promoting Geoethics

Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143 Rome (Italy) | iapgeoethics@aol.com

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