Saturday, April 19, 2014



Geoethics: A Way of Thinking and Practicing Geosciences

"Ethics Breakfast": lecture by Salvatore Barba (speaker), Mauro Buttinelli and Silvia Peppoloni

5 May 2014
Houston, Texas (USA)


The OTC - Offshore Technology Conference is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection.


The presentation by Dr Buttinelli (speaker) and Dr Peppoloni will be dealing with the value of geoethics in joining humanistic and scientific visions as we search for socio-economic solutions to practical problems that are compatible with respect of the environment and protection of nature and land. After the presentation, Charles Knobloch will be moderating a Q&A session with Dr Buttinelli.

Dr Barba is a senior research geophysicist at INGV - National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Italy). He has a background in Physics and numerical methods in geophysics, a PhD in Geology, and a focus on earthquakes. He is involved in developing new paradigms in the study and management of natural hazards, which consider Geoethics.

Dr Buttinelli is a researcher at the INGV - National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Italy). He is from several years directly involved on the themes of Geoethics, particularly in the field of georesources' exploitation. He is an expert of seismotectonics applied to Oil, Gas and Geological Storage research activity. He has accomplished a Ph.D. in the field of seismology and structural geology, modeling underground structures potentially suitable to fluids storage. He works for international projects drawn up between INGV and several Italian Oil and Gas companies.

Dr Peppoloni, Ph.D. researcher at INGV, is considered a leader among international proponents of geoethics. She is founding member and Secretary General of the International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) and coordinator of the Section on Geoethics and Geological Culture inside the Italian Geological Society. Dr Peppoloni is also the editor of the first volume entirely dedicated to Geoethics ever published by a JCR international journal ("Annals of Geophysics"), and she is member of the Italian Committee on Geoethics of the Italian Federation of Earth Sciences.

Abstract 
Geoethics deals with ethical, social, and cultural repercussions of the research and practice in earth sciences. It is considered the meeting point between geosciences, philosophy, and sociology.
Geoethics aims to give references and guidelines for finding socio-economic solutions to practical problems of human life that are compatible with respect of the environment and protection of nature and land.
Among its goals, geoethics promotes a critical analysis of the use and management of geo-resources. A honest reflection on ethics of a sustainable development must accompany the research and practice also in the oil field. Oil and gas are potentially pollutant but necessary. Even more in this case, geoethics can be a helpful tool to ensure attention to the environment, excellence of the technology, and a high level of professionalism.
Professional codes of conduct, research integrity, and best practices have to be based on shared values. It has to go beyond geographical and disciplinary boundaries and get unanimous recognition through the joining of humanistic and scientific visions.

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