International Geoethics Day
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IAPG officially launches the International Geoethics Day on 12 October 2017, during the Earth Science Week 2017.
The aim of the International Geoethics Day is to raise the awareness of the geoscience community and society as a whole about the importance of ethical, social and cultural aspects of geoscience knowledge, research, practice, education and communication.
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The International Geoethics Day will be held every year during the Earth Science Week.
IAPG welcomes proposals to organize initiatives aimed at promoting geoethics locally and globally to celebrate this day.
IAPG works for a respectful stewardship of the Earth: our way to take care of future generations.
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International Geoethics Day editions:
International Geoethics Day 2025: geoethics for a sustainable energy future
16 October 2025
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We celebrate the 9th edition of the International Geoethics Day.
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The theme of this year is "geoethics for a sustainable energy future".
The International Geoethics Day 2025 highlights the ethical responsibility of geoscientists in shaping a sustainable energy future. Access to energy resources is essential for human development, yet their exploration, production, and use raise critical questions about environmental protection, social justice, and intergenerational equity. By applying geoscientific knowledge with a geoethical perspective, geoscientists contribute to responsible resource management, the mitigation of climate change impacts, and the promotion of renewable and low-impact energy solutions. Valuing geoethics in energy choices means fostering resilience, safeguarding ecosystems, and ensuring that today’s decisions contribute to the well-being of future generations.
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If you want to organize an event (conference, webinar, seminar, field trip, etc.) to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2025, please inform the IAPG Secretariat by sending an email to: iapgeoethics@aol.com. IAPG will be happy to promote your event.
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Website of the International Geoethics Day:
https://www.geoethics.org/geoethics-day
Hashtag: #geoethicsday2025​​​​​​
Bangladesh​​​
India
The Geological Survey of India is going to celebrate 4th International Geodiversity Day and 9th International Geoethics Day on 16th October 2025 at its Central Headquarters, Kolkata. The celebrations will include a workshop on “Harnessing Geodiversity for Geoconservation”, emphasizing the importance of preserving Earth’s unique geodiversity through responsible and ethical geoscience practices. Let’s join to celebrate, understand, and protect the remarkable geodiversity of our planet for generations to come.
Silvia Peppoloni (IAPG President) will give a talk titled "Geoethics as a Framework for Geodiversity, Geoheritage, and Geoconservation".
Follow the link to join: https://gsi.webex.com/gsi/j.php?MTID=m8a92ecc6fee0203852bcfa092a96b59b
Meeting number: 2511 597 0402/Password: 6656
Download the programme (pdf file)
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Turkey
Official Statement by Chamber of Geological Engineers of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB):
https://www.jmo.org.tr/genel/bizden_detay.php?kod=18565&tipi=1&sube=0&subesi=
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Portugal
Official Statement by Associação Portuguesa de Geólogos (APG):
"O Dia Internacional da Geoética, que se comemora hoje, visa consciencializar a sociedade para a importância dos aspetos éticos, sociais e culturais do conhecimento geocientífico, da investigação, da prática, da educação e da comunicação nas Geociências.
O tema deste ano, “Geoética para um futuro energético sustentável”, destaca o papel e responsabilidade dos geocientistas na construção de um futuro que contemple de forma mais expressiva a utilização de fontes de energia renováveis, tendo em consideração os valores que orientam comportamentos e práticas adequadas em todas as interações humanas com o sistema terrestre.
O acesso aos recursos energéticos é essencial para o desenvolvimento humano, mas a sua exploração, produção e utilização levantam questões críticas sobre a proteção ambiental, a justiça social e a equidade intergeracional. Ao aplicar o conhecimento geocientífico com uma perspetiva geoética, os geocientistas contribuem para a gestão responsável dos recursos, para a mitigação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas e para a promoção de soluções energéticas renováveis ​​e de baixo impacte.
Valorizar a geoética nas escolhas energéticas significa promover a resiliência, proteger os ecossistemas e garantir que as decisões de hoje contribuem para o bem-estar das gerações futuras.
Com o avanço da nova corrida espacial, liderada por nações e empresas privadas em busca da exploração da Lua, Marte e além, surge uma questão urgente: como agir eticamente fora do nosso planeta? A nova fronteira espacial exige não apenas tecnologia, mas também responsabilidade ética global — e, agora, interplanetária."​
Nigeria
Official Statement by Geological Society of Nigeria (GSN):
"The Geological Society of Nigeria (GSN) proudly joins the global geoscience community in celebrating International Geoethics Day 2025, themed “Geoethics for a Sustainable Energy Future.” This annual event, convened by the International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG), serves as a global reminder that ethical principles must underpin every aspect of geoscientific practice from resource exploration and environmental management to climate adaptation and energy transition. As the world confronts the dual challenge of meeting growing energy demands while safeguarding planetary health, GSN reaffirms its commitment to embedding geoethical principles into research, education, and professional conduct. “Geoethics is not an abstract concept. It is a moral compass guiding our stewardship of Earth’s resources. As geoscientists, we must ensure that our decisions promote sustainability, equity, and intergenerational justice,” said Uba Saidu Malami, President of the Geological Society of Nigeria. This year’s theme resonates deeply with Nigeria’s current energy transition goals and the broader African agenda for sustainable resource governance. GSN recognizes that achieving a sustainable energy future requires transparent policies, ethical exploration, and the responsible use of geoscientific knowledge to mitigate environmental and social risks. To mark this occasion, GSN encourages geoscientists, students, and industry stakeholders to:
- Reflect on the ethical responsibilities inherent in their professional roles.
- Integrate sustainability and community welfare into every geoscientific decision.
- Participate in national and international Geoethics Day discussions and publications, including the Journal of Geoethics and Social Geosciences special issue on “Geoethics and Social Geosciences in Africa: Challenges, Practices, and Perspectives.”
As part of its broader mission, GSN will continue to partner with organizations such as the IAPG, IUGS Commission on Geoethics, and sister geoscience societies worldwide to promote a culture of ethical awareness, professional integrity, and responsible innovation in Nigeria’s geoscience community.
Together, let us ensure that Nigeria’s pursuit of energy security is guided by respect for people, the planet, and posterity."​
New Zealand - Aotearoa
A message by Matthew Hughes, IAPG-New Zealand Coordinator:
"Today is International Geoethics Day 2025, and the theme for this year is "Geoethics for a sustainable energy future". Valuing geoethics in energy choices means fostering resilience, safeguarding ecosystems, and ensuring that today’s decisions contribute to the well-being of future generations. For those at the forefront of the energy transition, we must be mindful that the Earth resources required for sustainable technologies are harnessed in ways that preserve community dignity and livelihoods, and have minimal impacts on the ecosystems on which we depend."​
Germany
A video by Martin Bohle, member of the IAPG Board of Experts, for the International Geoethics Day 2025.​
Colombia
A video by Clemencia Gómez, IAPG-Colombia Coordinator, about geoethics and geo-resources published in 2021:
Argentina
A message by Elizabeth Rovere, IAPG Vice President:
International Geoethics Day 2024: valuing geosciences for the public good
17 October 2024
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We celebrate the 8th edition of the International Geoethics Day on 17 October 2024.
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The theme of this year is "valuing geosciences for the public good".
The International Geoethics Day 2024 emphasizes the importance of applying geoscientific knowledge to address societal challenges and promote the well-being of communities. By understanding Earth's processes, geoscientists contribute to disaster risk reduction, resource management, environmental conservation, and sustainable development. Their work helps ensure safe water supplies, mitigate climate change impacts, and support responsible land use. Valuing geosciences means recognizing their role in fostering resilience, protecting ecosystems, and improving quality of life, ultimately ensuring that scientific advancements benefit society as a whole.
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Message by Silvia Peppoloni (Chair of the IUGS Commission on Geoethics and President of the International Association for Promoting Geoethics, celebrating the 8th edition of the International Geoethics:
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If you want to organize an event (conference, webinar, seminar, field trip, etc.) to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2024, please inform the IAPG Secretariat by sending an email to: iapgeoethics@aol.com. IAPG will be happy to promote your event.
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Website of the International Geoethics Day: https://www.geoethics.org/geoethics-day
Hashtag: #geoethicsday2024​​
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Events planned (list in progress):
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- IAPG-Turkey shares a text (in Turkish) with the press and the public, prepared by Yülsel Örgün Tutay and Dündar ÇaÄŸlan (IAPG-Turkey Co-coordinators).
Download the press release (pdf file)
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- The Tethys Fossil Museum (tethysfossilmuseum@gmail.com​) celebrates the International Geoethics Day on 20 October 2024 in Dangyari, Himachal Pradesh, India. This enriching event offers village school children and families a chance to explore geology and its role in sustainable resource management and future planning.
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- On 17 October 2024, at the premises of Bologna Section of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV, Italy), Giuliana Rubbia (IAPG-Italy) delivers a seminar about “Gender and natural hazards: a duo to be explored” (in Italian) for celebrating the International Geoethics Day 2024. According to the new European Charter for Researchers, the principle of Gender Equality includes fostering the integration of the gender dimension in research, teaching and innovation content to improve the scientific quality, excellence, and societal relevance of the produced knowledge. In disaster risk reduction, gender and intersectional dimensions are crucial, since natural hazards are gender-neutral, but impacts are not. The event can be followed remotely via the following link: https://meet.google.com/vnk-coog-cwe
Download the poster (pdf file)
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- Matthew Hughes (IAPG-New Zealand Coordinator) has planned a picnic lunch at the Coronation Hill Scenic Reserve in the Port Hills (Christchurch, New Zealand) on 17 October, with its spectacular views of the harbour and loess-mantled volcanic landscapes.More details on the website of the Geoscience Society of New Zealand: https://gsnz.org.nz/gsnz-events/ViewEvent/367
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- The Aliaga Geological Park in Teruel, Spain, will celebrate International Geoethics Day 2024 with an event on 18 October 2024. The Park management will host a workshop led by Pablo Antonio Crespo in the Geology Classroom, followed by a field trip to the Aliaga Geological Park. The event aims to educate 53 primary and secondary school students about geology, resource management, and sustainable development, with a focus on applying the principles of geoethics.
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- IAPG-Bangladesh will organized a seminar on "Valuing Geosciences for the Public Good" to celebrate International Geoethics Day 2024. The event will take place at the auditorium of the Geological Survey of Bangladesh in Dhaka. The Seminar will be focused on emphasizing the importance of applying geoscientific knowledge to address societal challenges and promote the well-being of communities.
International Geoethics Day 2023: fostering the importance of geosciences for society
12 October 2023
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We celebrate the 7th edition of the International Geoethics Day on 12 October 2023.
The theme of this year is "fostering the importance of geosciences for society".
Geoscientists’ knowledge and expertise are essential to address many of the most urgent global problems, to inform decision-making, and to guide education at all levels. Geosciences provide society knowledge and tools to discuss, shape, and implement solutions to local, regional and global socio-environmental problems. Geoethics fosters the importance of geosciences for contributing to create a more sustainable and just society.
If you want to organize an event (conference, webinar, seminar, field trip, etc.) to celebrate the International Geoethics Day, please inform the IAPG Secretariat by sending an email to: iapgeoethics@aol.com. IAPG will be happy to promote your event.
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Website of the International Geoethics Day: https://www.geoethics.org/geoethics-day
Hashtag: #geoethicsday2023
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List of events organized to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2023 (from 6 to 14 October 2023)
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An Ode on Geoethic Day: May the Essence of Geoethic be fossilized in human conscience
(by KC Sahu, IAPG member)
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The Earth is my Home,
Her Air is my Breath,
Her Water is my Blood,
The Biosphere is my Flesh,
And the Rocks are my Bones.
The Mountains are my Inspiration
And Rivers are my arteries,
The Ocean was my Womb,
And the Soil is my Mother
To Preserve and Protect them is to Preserve and Protect my self.
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International Geoethics Day 2022: promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals
13 October 2022
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To celebrate the 6th edition of the International Geoethics Day, send an email to iapgeoethics@aol.com with a photo of you holding a sign in your hands containing a brief message on what you think is most important (for example, an action, a value or a concept) to ensure sustainable development of human communities, inspired by the UN SDGs. In alternative, post your photo on social media by using the hashtag: #geoethicsday2022.
Moreover, if you want to organize an event (conference, webinar, seminar, field trip, etc.) to celebrate the International Geoethics Day, please inform the IAPG Secretariat by sending an email to: iapgeoethics@aol.com. IAPG will be happy to promote your event.
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Hashtag: #geoethicsday2022
Events planned to celebrate the 6th International Geoethics Day:
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10-11 October 2022, India
- Day 1 (10 Oct.): 9:15 am (IST) | 8 hours 45 minutes
- Day 2 (11 Oct.): 10:30 am to 1:40 pm (IST)
Special Twin Event to celebrate the 1st International Geodiversity Day and the 6th International Geoethics Day, entitled "Geoheritage Conservation and Geoethics", at the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, India.
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13 October 2022, Italy
16:00-19:00 (CEST)
Webinar entitled "Geoethics without borders: Transdisciplinary visions for sustainability", organized by the Department of Earth Sciences at the Turin University and IAPG-Italy/Section of Geoethics and Geological Culture of the Italian Geological Society.
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13 October 2022, New Zealand
07:00-08:30 pm (NZT)
Webinar entitled "International Geoethics Day Seminar", organized by the Geoscience Society of New Zealand. This event explores topics relating to ethics in the geosciences in honour of International Geoethics Day on October 13th. In a panel of three speakers each gives a short 20 min talk, followed by time for questions and discussion.
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13 October 2022, Morocco
Event onsite organized at the Polydisciplinary Faculty, Cadi Ayyad University, Safi, Morocco to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2022.
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13 October 2022, Turkey
Jeoloji Mühendisleri Odası (Turkisk Chamber of Geological Engineers) released a document to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2022.
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13 October 2022, Bangladesh
14:00 (BST)
Onsite event organized by IAPG-Bangladesh to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2022.
Discussion Theme: promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Venue: Shaheed Mokleshur Rahman Auditorium, Geological Survey of Bangladesh.
13 October 2022, India
02:00 pm - 04:00 pm (IST); 08:30 am - 10:30 am (GMT)
Webinar entitled "Advocating Geoethics for SFDRR, SDGs, and CCA", organized by the National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with the IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics and Adamas University (West Bengal, India), to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2022.
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13 October 2022, Peru
16:00-19:00 (PET)
Webinar in Peru to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2022, organized by IAPG-Peru. 3 speakers give talks about geoethics to axchieve the sustainable development goals, the importance to have geologists working in each municipality, and geoethics and social management with reference to native communities. This event is in Spanish.
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Poster (pdf file)
13-14 October 2022, India
10:00 am (IST)
Online workshop entitled "Nurturing Geodiversity: A Road to Sustainable Development", organized by the Geological Survey of India to celebrate the 1st International Day of Geodiversity and the 6th International Geoethics Day. This is a run up event to the yearlong celebration (up to August 2023) of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav commemorating 75 years of Indian Independence.
Venue: Conference Hall, Geological Survey of India, CHQ, 15 Kyd Street, Kol-16/ online.
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International Geoethics Day 2021: Geoethics enhances the value of Geodiversity
14 October 2021
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To celebrate the 5th edition of the International Geoethics Day , send an email to iapgeoethics@aol.com with a photo of you together with a geological item of the place where you live (outcrop, rock, mineral, fossil, geological landscape and/or process). In alternative, post your photo on social media by using the hashtag: #geoethicsday2021.
Moreover, if you want to organize an event (conference, webinar, seminar, field trip, etc.) to celebrate the International Geoethics Day, please inform the IAPG Secretariat by sending an email to: iapgeoethics@aol.com. IAPG will be happy to promote your event.
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Hashtag: #geoethicsday2021
International Geoethics Day 2020: make a... Geoethical Promise!
15 October 2020
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The 4th edition of this event is dedicated to the early career and young geoscientists.
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How to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2020
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Hashtag: #geoethicsday2020
International Geoethics Day 2019: Seed Today... for the future!
17 October 2019
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Hashtag: #geoethicsday2019
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Soil, air and water pollution, land degradation, biodiversity loss, global warming, are among the main threats for human communities.
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The International Geoethics Day 2019 aims to raise people's awareness and responsibility on anthropogenic global changes, trying to change the way in which we relates to our planet.
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In order to celebrate the 3rd edition of the International Geoethics Day we ask you to:
1) seed or plant something in the ground (trees, flowers, plants, or shrubs);
2) use the IAPG label to tag what you have planted (possibly, print it on recycled paper or use the other side of an already printed sheet);
3) take a photo and post it on social networks, by using the hashtag "#geoethicsday2019".
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In the IAPG label you find this sentence: “This is the contribution of the IAPG to make better our future on Earth”.
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This event is included in the Earth Science Week 2019 and the Global Ethics Day 2019.
International Geoethics Day 2019
Leafleat
International Geoethics Day 2019
Label
International Geoethics Day 2018: Geoethics is...
18 October 2018
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Dear IAPG members and followers,
I'm glad to inform you that on 18 October 2018 the IAPG will celebrate the International Geoethics Day.
As you know, this initiative was born in 2017 with the aim to raise the awareness of the geoscience community and society as a whole about the importance of geoethics.
The International Geoethics Day 2018 falls during the Earth Science Week and close to the Global Ethics Day and will be the occasion to strongly reaffirm the geoethical values in which we believe and that are the foundations of our association.
Here you can download a leaflet with the incipit of a statement: "geoethics is...".
Please, complete the sentence with one word, the word that you feel more appropriate, print the leaflet and take a picture of you with the leaflet in your hands well in evidence.
Finally, during the day of 18 October (not before!) post the picture on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and use the hashtag: #geoethicsday2018.
Many thanks for your cooperation.
Kind regards,
Silvia Peppoloni
(IAPG Secretary General)
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IAPG events to celebrate the International Geoethics Day 2018:
NGC1 - First Nigeria Geoethics Conference "Integrating Geoethics into the Extractive Industry Governance": 18-19 October 2018, Port Harcourt (Nigeria); Website, Download the poster (pdf file)
International Geoethics Day 2018
Leafleat (word file)
Supporting organizations:
International Geoethics Day 2017: take your photo!
12 October 2017
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Download the leafleat of the International Geoethics Day (here on the right), print it, take your photo with it, finally post your photo on social networks! (Hashtag: #geoethicsday)
International Geoethics Day 2017
Leafleat (pdf file)