International Seminar "Geoethics and Global Ethics in a Time of Polycrisis" (Assisi, Italy, 16-18 November 2026)
Dear colleagues,
The International Seminar "Geoethics and Global Ethics in a Time of Polycrisis: Comparative Perspectives on Human–Earth Relations" will take place in Assisi, Italy, from 16 to 18 November 2026.
Assisi is an especially fitting place to explore the connections between human communities, cultural memory, and the natural environment. Its longstanding commitment to dialogue and peace provides an ideal setting for ethical discussion and international exchange on the relationship between humanity and the Earth.
The seminar will bring together geoscientists, philosophers, scholars in the humanities, and social scientists. It is part of the International Academy 2026 of the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH), which has funded the seminar.
The seminar aims to:
Explore geoethics as a conceptual and practical foundation for global ethics in the context of Earth system governance, including perspectives inspired by Chinese philosophical traditions that emphasize harmony between humans and nature, moral cultivation, and long-term responsibility.
Promote comparative geoethics by examining how different cultural, philosophical, and societal traditions conceptualize human–Earth relationships, with particular attention to Chinese cultural, ethical, and cosmological frameworks alongside other global traditions.
Foster interdisciplinary dialogue between geosciences, humanities, social sciences, philosophy, and ethics.
Encourage ethical reflection on the social roles and responsibilities of scientists, scholars, educators, policymakers, and institutions in a challenging and changing time.
Contribute to the development of inclusive ethical frameworks that respect cultural diversity while addressing global planetary challenges, integrating values and approaches emerging from Chinese traditions with those from other regions of the world.
Build an engaged, interdisciplinary community to tackle the global polycrisis collaboratively, fostering dialogue and cooperation across cultures, regions, and knowledge traditions, with special attention to East–West and Global North–South exchanges.
The event is under the patronage of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy) and the Municipality of Assisi and is organized with the support of the Rome 2 Section of the INGV. Since 2024, the INGV has hosted a CIPSH research chair dedicated to geoethics.
More information about the event is available at:
In-person participation is by invitation only. Online participation is open to everyone, subject to registration by 10 November 2026 at 23:59 using the form at the following link:
Registered participants will receive the link to join a few days before the seminar.
Kind regards,
Giuseppe Di Capua and Silvia Peppoloni
IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics:
IUGS - Commission on Geoethics:
EGU - Geoethics Working Group:
CIPSH - Chair on Geoethics:
Comments