Monday, September 28, 2020

Online event
by IAPG-Chile and Geological Society of Chile-Geoethics Group

Geoscience for the New Constitution of Chile

28 September 2020
19:00-20:30 (Chile)
Time zone: GMT-3

in Spanish

Zoom meeting
ID: 826 7187 1837
Password: 685378


Read the article on this issue by José Martín Cabello Lechuga for the IAPG Blog, published on 24 August 2020:


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Other events on geoethics:

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics

Friday, September 25, 2020



ZEF Colloquium (online event):

The role of Geoethics in georesources management and governance: some case studies

by Francesc Bellaubi (IAPG member)

8 October 2020
01:30-2:30 PM Berlin (Germany)


Abstract
The aim of the conference is to introduce Geoethics and the possibilities offered by this discipline in conflicts related to georesources management and governance. Geoethics consists of research and reflection on the values which underpin appropriate behaviors and practices, wherever human activities interact with the Earth system. The management of georesources whether minerals, soil, water and areas of scientific and cultural interest as well as geohazards becomes especially contentious when there are a number of values at stake. Beyond socio-economic and environmental assessments, citizen participation, land use planning and protection of natural areas ... is there any way to overcome these conflicts?
Geoethical dilemmas more than finding solutions look at the understanding of values behind confronting positions, and aim to establish a future vision based on a dialogue of values. Often behind environmental problems there are issues of social equity and ultimately ecological justice that must be overcome. Should we need to take into account the intrinsic value of nature and our most spiritual values to overcome such challenges? how does it affect our social relations in our relationship in the Geosphere? What is the role of pedagogy and leadership in finding a common path?

Keywords: geoethics, geresources, management, governance, ecological justice

Presenter:
Dr. Francesc Bellaubi is a geologist and mining tech engineer, with a PhD in Natural Sciences from the University of Osnabrück (Germany) and studies in Theology. He has a long career working with  international cooperation and development agencies and NGOs. He is currently a researcher at the South Ural State University (Russia), a member of the International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG), and the Silene Association, a non-profit association based in Catalonia, Spain, aimed at the study, dissemination and promotion of the spiritual and intangible cultural heritage values inherent in Nature.


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Publications on geoethics:

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics

Thursday, September 24, 2020


New article:

Viewing Earth and World through the Geoethical Lens

by Martin Bohle, Silvia Peppoloni, and Eduardo Marone
(IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics)


This article has been published in the following magazine:

Human Futures, Issue 2, 28-29.

Download pdf:


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Publications on geoethics:

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics

Wednesday, September 23, 2020



New paper:

"A geoethical approach to the governance of social-ecological systems: the case of Delta del Tordera (Cataluna)"

by F. Bellaubi, J.M. Mallarach, R. Sardá


Abstract
This paper presents the geoethical dilemma of the coastal zone of the Tordera Delta as a case study with the objective of showing the contribution of geoethics to the governance of coastal social-ecological systems. The Tordera Delta, located in the southern Costa Brava, Catalonia, constitutes a social-ecological system that suffers from intense anthropization mainly due to tourist pressures on the coast. The massive tourism of “sun and beach”, although it brought human well-being and economic development to the region, has caused a heavy urbanization of the coastline that altered the coastal dynamics, eroded its beaches and degraded many ecosystem services, something that is aggravated today by the climate change events in terms of rising sea level as well as the magnitude of the storms ("llevantades"), typical of the Western Mediterranean coast. Posing the problem of governance in terms of a geoethical dilemma means discerning among the values that refer to the intrinsic meaning of coastal landscapes and much more instrumental values that see beaches as goods (commodities) for tourism uses. Finally, the paper reflects if there is a way to overcome this dichotomy of values by briefly considering meaning values as elements that forge cultural identities as further research.

Keywords: deltas, geoethics, Geosphere, governance, natural resources, social-ecological systems

This paper has been published in:
Actas XI Congreso Ibérico de Gestión y Planificación del Agua. Septiembre 2020

Download the paper here:



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Publications on geoethics:

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics

Saturday, September 19, 2020


Special Issue of the journal Sustainability:
"New Advances on Geoethics and Sustainable Development"

Call for papers


Dear Colleagues, 

The Earth, understood from a human perspective, is the physical place, but also the cultural and technological space, which humanity have the ethical duty to protect and transfer to future generations. There is a close connection between the social–ecological systems of the planet and their possible degradation if the thresholds of systemic sustainability are exceeded. The serious problems produced by Western development models, gradually accepted or imposed on a global level, cannot now find solutions through actions limited to local or national contexts—these need to be addressed through agreements on implementation methods and actions that are designed at a supranational level. For that reason, in this historical moment, it is essential to develop a global ethics towards the Earth that takes into account local contexts, but which is also able to provide a general vision of the common challenges to be addressed.

Geoethics has been defined as “the research and reflection on the values that underlie appropriate behaviours and practices, wherever human activities interact with the Earth system”. It is proposed as a global ethics that identifies the values on which to base a more responsible and functional interaction between human beings and the planet understood as a system. Geoethics was born and developed to valorize geosciences from a social point of view and to make geoscientists aware of the role they can and have to play in society. At present, its conceptual and practical potentials are increasingly evident, as well as its ability to propose itself as an ethics capable of redefining the relationship between human beings and the Earth system on a global level. Geoethics specifies and qualifies responsible human action through concepts such as sustainability, geo-conservation, adaptation to changes, risk prevention, and geo-environmental education, which give operational concreteness to the modern ecological feeling and which underlie the cultural, technological, energy, and economic changes of our societies. 

Responsibility towards the Earth, its socioecological systems, and future generations introduces the fundamental concept of sustainability, which in turn implies the human capability to manage production and consumption mechanisms in a long-term perspective and to respect natural environments and processes in order to contribute to their ecological sustainability. Sustainability is based on the awareness that the natural resources of the Earth system are limited, that ecosystem services can be extremely delicate, and that their management by human communities must take into account planetary limits, so as to develop a safe operating space. A more sustainable society is a more just, equitable, inclusive, prepared, participatory, and ecologically oriented society, in line with the values expressed by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. 

This Special Issue aims to enrich and broaden the discussion on the concept of sustainability, analyzing it also in the light of the values of geoethics and considering its ethical, social, and cultural implications, so as to enrich the theoretical perspectives and practical applications of a global ethics towards the Earth. To this end, authors are invited to submit papers with scientific considerations, but also reflections relating to philosophical, historical, sociological, economic, and technological aspects, also with the help of practical examples and case studies. The Special Issue is promoted by the IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics (https://www.geoethics.org).

Silvia Peppoloni (INGV Rome, Secretary General of the IAPG)
Giuseppe Di Capua (INGV Rome, Treasurer of the IAPG)
Guest Editors

More information about this special issue:

Keywords: geoethics, sustainability, human niche, social–ecological systems, planetary boundaries, safe operating space, ecosystem services, Sustainable Development Goals, Earth system governance, Earth stewardship

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Publications on geoethics:

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics

Friday, September 18, 2020


Article collection in
Frontiers in Marine Sciences:
"Ocean Sciences and Ethics"


Dear IAPG members,

In collaboration with the journal "Frontiers in Marine Science", we are bringing together a selected group of international experts to contribute to an open-access article collection on: "Ocean Sciences and Ethics" (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/16139/ocean-sciences-and-ethics).

Guest Editors: 
Michele Barbier, Institute for Science, Ethics, Nice, France (mbarbier@sciencethics.org)
Angel Borja, Technological Center Expert in Marine and Food Innovation (AZTI), Pasaia, Spain;
Johannes Karstensen, GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Michelle Scobie, The University of the West Indies St. Augustine, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

Our main goal is to bring together original research papers, perspectives, and reviews focusing on research, recommendations and guiding principles on the many ethical challenges and issues that scientists and industries may face when conducting research activities or develop innovation at sea. Given the large expertise in your network, we would like to encourage you to contribute to this collection. All submissions will undergo rigorous peer review to guarantee high scientific quality and relevance to the subject.  

We would like to receive a short note of interest (to be sent to mbarbier@sciencethics.org) or a short abstracts (or a short description outlining your general idea) by 27 October 2020 and manuscripts for peer-review by 31 May 2021. Of course, these deadlines can be discussed case by case to take into account possible delays. When we will be aware of your interest in submitting a paper, you will receive an official message from the journal containing all the instructions for submitting a contribution. Please accept or decline this call for papers to let us know if you are interested in participating.

We think this Research Topic will be well received by the community and we would be honoured if you agreed to contribute. In case you are not interested in participating, but know someone that might be, please feel free to share this information with them. Thanks for considering and we look forward to your reply.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to directly contact the Frontiers in Marine Science team (marinescience@frontiersin.org).

All the best,

Michèle Barbier
on behalf of the Topic Editors

(IAPG-France co-coordinator)

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IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics

Thursday, September 17, 2020


Survey of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Geoscience (EDIG) project


The Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Geoscience (EDIG) project was started by a group of geoscientists who are working together to better understand the impact of prejudice, inequity, sexism, bias, exclusion, and discrimination within the larger geoscience community.  

EDIG is asking for your help to understand these issues by completing an anonymous survey about your experiences/lack of experiences related to these topics. Even if you do not feel these readily apply to you, EDIG would still like to hear from you. The survey will run from Monday the 14th of September until Monday the 28th of September, 2020. 

The survey is open to anyone who is over the age of 18 years old and is currently or has previously worked or studied in the field of geoscience. By participating in the survey you agree to accept these terms. Participation should take no longer than 8 minutes.

Anonymized results and quotes may be used in later activities, including the EDIG online conference, to discuss equality, diversity, and inclusion in the larger geoscience community. For more details on EDIG activities, please visit its web page.

To participate in the EDIG survey, please follow this link.

A time to listen, learn, and act.

Thank you for your help.

The IAPG is supporting partner of the EDIG project.


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IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics

Wednesday, September 16, 2020


Seminar
"Foundations & Examples for how to tackle (Geo)ethical Dilemmas"

by Martin Bohle (IAPG Board of Experts)

Date: 16 September 2020
Time: 10:00-11:00 US Eastern Time /  2:00-3:00 PM GMT


Martin Bohle (IAPG Board of Experts)
Abstract

This essay is about less-than-satisfying circumstances, and imperfect solutions. To that end it presents some theory, experiences and examples for how to tackle ‘geoethical dilemmas’. Geosciences co-shape the human niche, that is, the planetary network of twinned natural and cultural landscapes. Bundled by global supply chains, humans restlessly alter it through engineering, production and consumption. In turn, human agents face counter-intuitive system-behaviour, irreversible path-dependency, and multi-facet values and interests, including ‘ethical dilemmas’. 

Facing such premises, geoethics explores cultural substrates to nurture the skills of agents when facing suchlike ‘wicked’ system-features. Initially, geoethics was conceived for geoscientists, that is, their professional functions in various societal contexts. Subsequently, geoethics evolved into an epistemic, moral hybrid for citizens interacting with the Earth system. Geoethics amended by Kohlberg’s hierarchy of moral adequacy and Jonas’s imperative of responsibility results in a ‘geoethical rational’, namely, to act: ‘actor-centric, virtue-ethics focused, responsibility focused, knowledge-based, all-actor-inclusive, and universal-rights based’. Less-than-perfect guidance, such as the geoethical rational offers, can support agents to navigate the human niche, that is coping with ‘ethical dilemmas’.
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Other events on geoethics:
https://www.geoethics.org/events

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics
https://www.geoethics.org

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Sessions on Ethics at the Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) Workshop IV


Michèle Barbier (IAPG-France)
Michèle Barbier (IAPG-France co-coordinator) informs about 4 sessions on ethics at the 4th Evolving and Sustaining Ocean Best Practices Workshop that will be held online at various times between 17-30 September 2020.

Ocean practitioners will collaboratively address best practices as well as recommendations for the OBPS to meet community needs for advanced method development in ocean observations and applications. The outcomes  will guide the next implementation phase of the OBPS.

The Working Group on Ethics and best practices for ocean observing and applications organizes the following sessions:

- Session 1 on Ethics in ocean observation, overview (speaker: Michèle Barbier)
21 September, 1pm UTC, 2 hours

- Session 2 on Ocean observation and indigenous groups (speaker: Shelley Denny)
22 September, 1pm UTC, 2 hours

- Session 3 on Ethics & fisheries (speaker: Macenzie Mazur)
23 September, 1pm UTC, 2 hours

- Session 4 on Optimizing infrastructure (speaker: Frederick Whoriskey)
24 September, 1pm UTC, 2 hours






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Other events on geoethics:
https://www.geoethics.org/events

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics
https://www.geoethics.org

Wednesday, September 9, 2020





IAPG is supporting partner of the EDIG project by iCRAG


The iCRAG - Irish Centre for Research in Applied Geosciences launched the ​Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Geoscience (EDIG) project.

The IAPG is an official supporting partner of this project.

The Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Geoscience (EDIG) project was started by a group of geoscientists who are working together to better understand the impact of prejudice, inequity, sexism, bias, exclusion, and discrimination within the larger geoscience community. EDIG is carrying out a unique survey on these issues and will directly use the results to plan an online conference later this year (details TBC), bringing together a diverse range of guest speakers. The conference will help start a conversation and prompt progressive action, by having open discussions about the experiences of discriminated groups within the geoscience sector. EDIG's aim is to look at newly emerging issues and address those that are stubbornly persistent in the geoscience sector. Through listening and learning, EDIG intends to stimulate new ideas and innovative approaches to tackling systemic inequalities.




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Other IAPG affiliations, agreements, and partnerships:
https://www.geoethics.org/affiliations-agreements

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics
https://www.geoethics.org

Friday, September 4, 2020


Just published in the journal Sustainability:

Geoethics for Nudging Human Practices in Times of Pandemics


Abstract:
Geoscientists developed geoethics, an intra-disciplinary field of applied philosophical studies, during the last decade. Reaching beyond the sphere of professional geosciences, it led to professional, cultural, and philosophical approaches to handle the social-ecological structures of our planet ‘wherever human activities interact with the Earth system’. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 and considering geoscientists’ experiences dealing with disasters (related to hazards like tsunamis, floods, climate changes), this essay (1) explores the geoethical approach, (2) re-casts geoethics within western philosophical systems, such as the Kantian imperatives, Kohlberg scale of moral adequacy, Jonas’ imperative of responsibility, and (3) advances a ‘geoethical thesis’. The latter takes the form of a hypothesis of a much broader scope of geoethics than initially envisioned. That hypothesis appears by suspecting a relationship between the relative successes in the COVID-19 battle with the positioning of agents (individual, collective, institutional) into ethical frameworks. The turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic calls for the transfer of experiences between different disciplinary domains to further sustainable governance, hence generalizing the geoethical approach. It is emphasized that only when behaving as responsible and knowledgeable citizens then people of any trade (including [geo-]scientists) can transgress the boundaries of ordinary governance practices with legitimacy.

Keywords:
geoethics; social-ecological systems; ethical imperatives; COVID-19 pandemic; responsible science

How to cite:
Marone E. and Bohle M. (2020). Geoethics for Nudging Human Practices in Times of Pandemics. Sustainability, 12(18), 7271; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187271

Download the article:



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Other publications on geoethics:
https://www.geoethics.org/publications

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics
http://www.geoethics.org

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Geoethics at the 6th Meggen Raw material days

16-18 September 2020


David Ovadia
David Ovadia (IAPG-UK coordinator)
represents the IAPG in this online conference. He gives a talk entitled "Do no Harm - Ethics in Geoscience" on 16 September 2020, in the theme "Raw Materials, Sustainability and Geologists in Public Perception". In the same theme, Aaron W. Johnson (AIPG, USA) gives a talk entitled "Geoethics and Society: Social and Cultural Considerations for the Ethical Practice of Geology".



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Other events on geoethics in the IAPG website:
https://www.geoethics.org/events

IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics
http://www.geoethics.org