"The time for a first book on Geoethics has come"

The IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics is proud to announce that this book has been just published:

Max Wyss and Silvia Peppoloni (Eds)
Geoethics, Ethical Challenges and Case Studies in Earth Sciences
2015, p. 450, Elsevier, ISBN 978-0127999357

From the publisher:

Max Wyss

Key Features

Written by a global group of contributors with backgrounds ranging from philosopher to geo-practitioner, providing a balance of voices.

Includes case studies, showing where experts have gone wrong and where key organizations have ignored facts, wanting assessments favorable to their agendas. 
Provides a much needed basis for discussion to guide scientists to consider their responsibilities and to improve communication with the public.

Silvia Peppoloni

Description

Edited by two experts in the area, Geoethics: Ethical Challenges and Case Studies in Earth Sciences addresses a range of topics surrounding the concept of ethics in geoscience, making it  an important reference for any Earth scientist with a growing concern for sustainable development  and social responsibility.

This book will provide the reader with some obvious and some hidden information you need for understanding where experts have not served the public, what more could have been done to reach  and serve the public and the ethical issues surrounding the Earth Sciences, from a global  perspective.

Table of contents

Section 1: INTRODUCTION

Section 2: PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS

Section 3: THE ETHICS OF PRACTICE

Section 4: MAN MADE HAZARDS

Section 5: NATURAL HAZARDS

Section 6: EXPLOITATION OF RESOURCES

Section 7: LOW INCOME AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Section 8: GEOSCIENCE COMMUNITY

This book in the Elsevier website:

http://store.elsevier.com/Geoethics/isbn-9780127999357/

The L'Aquila earthquake case: a brief note

The L'Aquila trial has had a positive outcome for the six scientists involved.
Their acquittal is complete: the crime does not subsist (paragraph 1, Art. 530 of the Italian Criminal Code). So, the scientists have not committed crimes.

The IAPG has followed the L'Aquila earthquake-case from the beginning, because of its important  geoethical implications.

The IAPG session on Geoethics at the EGU 2013 

In 2013, the IAPG organized a session on Geoethics (NH9.8 - Geoethics: Ethical Challenges In Communication, Geoeducation And Management of Natural Hazards:http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2013/orals/11853; convenership: Silvia Peppoloni, Susan Kieffer, Janusz Wasowski, Elizabeth Silva and Meng Wang) at the EGU General Assembly in Vienna, focused on this unfortunate case. 

The session was attended by prominent scientists, including Massimo Cocco, Tomas Jordan and Max Wyss.

Massimo Cocco 
(INGV - Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia)

Thomas Jordan 
(Southern California Earthquake Center at The University of Southern California) 

Max Wyss 
(Past Director of the World Agency of Planetary Monitoring & Earthquake Risk Reduction)

The IAPG, in collaboration with the AGI and the YES Network, organized a webinar of that session (http://www.egu2013.eu/nh9_8_video.html) in order to allow geoscientists from all over the world to follow oral presentations and slides.

We take this opportunity to inform you that an important book will be published by November 2014: “Wyss M. & Peppoloni S. (Eds). Geoethics: Ethical Challenges and Case Studies in Earth Sciences. 2014, 450 p. Elsevier” (http://store.elsevier.com/Geoethics/isbn-9780127999357/), in which space is given to the L'Aquila earthquake-case.


A second book on Geoethics will be published in 2015. It will contain a detailed article on the L'Aquila trial.

It is desiderable that this case can be transformed into an important moment to reflect upon the social role of geoscientists, in order to improve their relationships with the population, politicians and mass-media.

An in-depth analysis of the L'Aquila earthquake case may contribute to increase the trust of citizens towards the geoscientists and to develop more effective strategies in the defense against natural hazards.


Pictures from: 
www.ilmessaggero.it
http://www.ae-info.org/ae/User/Cocco_Massimo
http://www.improntalaquila.org/
http://jtifoundation.org/

Geoethics at the EGU - GA 2015

Session EOS8

Geoethics for Society: general aspects and case studies in geosciences

Call for Abstracts 

(deadline: 7 January 2015, 13:00 CET)

European Geosciences Union, General Assembly

Vienna (Austria), 12-17 April 2015

Conveners

Silvia Peppoloni, Nic Bilham, Susan W. Kieffer, Eduardo Marone

Session description

Geoethics consists of research and reflection on the values which underpin appropriate behaviours and practices, wherever human activities interact with the geosphere. Geoethics deals with the ethical, social and cultural implications of Earth Sciences education, research and practice, and with the social role and responsibility of geoscientists in conducting their activities.

Silvia Peppoloni

As scholars and experts on some of the most urgent problems affecting our planet, geoscientists can play a fundamental role in society, thanks to their unique range of skills, by helping to meet human needs and address environmental problems at the local and global scale, and by providing information and expert advice to support informed decision-making and public debate. Education, at all levels, must be re-oriented to give 21st century citizens a better understanding of natural systems and our interactions with them, and to equip them to participate in debate about the challenges of living equitably and sustainably on our planet. Geoscientists have a great deal to contribute to this re-orientation.

Nic Bilham

The success of past sessions on Geoethics, organized at the EGU General Assembly since 2012, has demonstrated the growing interest of the academic and professional geoscience community in issues such as environmentally sustainable supply of energy and water resources, protection from natural hazards, and reducing pollution and its impacts on health and the climate. More specifically, geoscientific discourse is increasingly addressing ethical and social problems related to land management; use of natural resources; risk mitigation and communication; geoeducational strategies; research integrity and professional deontology; relationships between geoscientists, politicians, the mass media and the public; and the value of geodiversity, geoheritage and geoparks.

Susan Kieffer

Geoscientists with greater awareness of their ethical responsibilities will be better able to put their knowledge at the disposal of society, by spreading the value of geosciences and geoeducation, especially among the young, improving the communication of their research and practice to the public and policy makers, taking care of the quality of human life, and promoting sustainable development globally.

Eduardo Marone

The conveners invite abstracts on both practical and theoretical aspects of Geoethics, including case studies. The aim of the session is to develop ethical and social perspectives on the challenges arising from human interaction with natural systems, to complement technical approaches and solutions, and to help to define an ethical framework for geoscientists’ research and practice in addressing these challenges.

The session is promoted by the IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics (http://www.iapg.geoethics.org/).

Submit an abstract

http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2015/session/19081

Deadline

7 January 2015, 13:00 CET

EGU Financial Support

Scientists who wish to apply for EGU financial support must be the contact author of their contribution, and they must submit an abstract by 28 November 2014.

For more information about the financial support, visit the EGU GA 2015 website: 

http://www.egu2015.eu/support_and_distinction.html.