Online Panel Discussion: Ethics in Volcanic Disaster Risk Management
The IAVCEI (International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior) Early-Career Researchers Network (ECR-Net), in collaboration with the EGU (European Geosciences Union) Geoethics Working Group and the support of the IAPG (International Association for Promoting Geoethics), is hosting a joint online panel discussion on “Ethics in Volcanic Disaster Risk Management” on 23 October 2026 (17:00-19:30 CEST).
The panel will explore the ethical challenges and responsibilities involved in managing volcanic risk, with a focus on scientific decision-making, uncertainty, risk communication, and meaningful engagement with affected communities.
The discussion will bring together:
Dr. Gerasimos Papadopoulos (Greece), Chairman of SafeGreece NGO and Co-coordinator of IAPG-Greece.
Prof. Jenni Barclay (United Kingdom), AXA Chair in Volcanology, University of Bristol.
Dr. Marco Bagnardi (USA), Data Scientist and Geophysicist, USGS Volcano Science Centre-Cascades Volcano Observatory.
Dr. Elizabeth Ivonne Rovere (Argentina), Geologist and Volcanologist, Vice-President of the IAPG-International Association for Promoting Geoethics, SEGEMAR.
Prof. Ilan Kelman (United Kingdom), Professor of Disaster and Health, University College, London and The Arctic University, Norway.
Prof. Gordon Woo (United Kingdom), Visiting Professor at the UCL, Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction.
Dr. Itahiza Domínguez Cerdeña (Spain), Director of Volcano Monitoring Group of IGN-Instituto Geográfico Nacional.
The session will be moderated by Kyriaki Drymoni (Germany), MSCA Global Fellow, LMU Munich and Visiting Researcher at GEO3BCN-CSIC, Spain.
The conversation will be guided by the following questions:
Where does the responsibility of a volcanologist end, and that of a decision-maker begin?
When lives are at stake, is it more ethical to communicate scientific uncertainty openly, even at the risk of causing confusion, or to provide a simplified message that supports decisive action?
Are we genuinely listening to communities living with volcanic risk, or are we simply expecting them to trust our science?
How should scientists respond when their assessment of volcanic risk differs from the position taken by public authorities?
How can volcanic-risk advice be made fair and actionable for people with different resources and abilities to respond?
If you could change one thing about how the volcanology community approaches ethical responsibility during volcanic crises, what would it be?
Following the panel discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and exchange views with the speakers and other participants.
Registration: https://forms.gle/FjzRs9ingzPntDTX9
IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics:
IUGS - Commission on Geoethics:
EGU - Geoethics Working Group:
CIPSH - Chair on Geoethics:
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