Sustainable Geoscience for the future
In November 2021 Guest Blog, Professor Chris Jackson from the University of Manchester looked at sustainable geoscience and its importance now and in the future.
What exactly is ‘sustainable geoscience’? It is probably best understood by looking at the two words separately. ‘Sustainability’ encompasses the idea that we can live harmoniously within the natural world and with the natural resources that we find. The sustainability aspect suggests that we are going to use resources in such a way that they are still there for use by future generations.
Second, ‘geoscience’ is the application of science to understand the structure and evolution of the Earth. We know what ‘sustainable’ and ‘geoscience’ mean separately, and in my mind, ‘sustainable geoscience’ speaks to the application of geoscience towards sustainability issues. This could range from geohazard assessment and mitigation, to water security, to contaminated land remediation because of our previous explorative or exploitative actions at or just below the Earth’s surface.
Within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, there are several areas where geoscientists can make important contributions. For example, when considering the so-called ‘solid earth’, we need to better understand how earthquakes are generated and how volcanoes behave before and during eruptions. Nearer to the Earth’s surface, we need to determine how Earth-water interactions control the distribution and quality of fresh water. Using the term sustainable geoscience allows us to bring together these socially important topics and collectively repurpose them for the future, whilst simultaneously better communicating their aims, methods, and importance to the public and policy makers.
If there is still negative baggage attached to geoscience, namely, the historical association of the subject with the damaging impacts of natural resource (e.g., fossil fuels, minerals), then the contributions of geoscience to the many and varied sustainability goals will potentially be lessened.
This relates to the ‘student’ aspect of sustainable geoscience in the future. Problems with recruiting students into the geosciences may partly reflect the fact that the subject is no longer perceived as having societal relevance or benefit, and/or long-term career prospects. Rightly or wrongly, geoscience careers have historically been thought to only lie within mining, and the fossil fuel energy sector. That’s not the case anymore, partly as a function of the growth of careers for geoscientists outside of these sectors, as well as a shrinking of these sectors themselves.
There are numerous areas in the UN Sustainable Development Goals where, as a geoscientist, you can still apply your understanding of the Earth’s structure and evolution, but to something which is more progressive and will probably have far more longer-term benefits to people in the future. This relates to what we teach students once they enrol on degree programmes as well: sustainable geoscience spans lots of fascinating topics, including isotope geochemistry, marine geology, and geohazard analysis, in addition to science communication (i.e., how best to communicate important topics to the general public and policy makers).
Ultimately, the science is only going to be as useful as its degree of public acceptance, or public adoption of elements of science-based policy. We need to be able to speak to policy makers to try and positively shape behaviours around any given sustainable geoscience area. We have seen this with coronavirus over the past year – the general understanding of virology and immunology has increased through policy and science communication.
In summary, it is important for staff and students to at least be aware that there is a space for geoscience in achieving sustainability goals.
About the author: Professor Chris Jackson is Chair of Sustainable Geoscience at the University of Manchester. Born and raised in Derby to a Jamaican mother and a Vincentian father, he was the first person in his family to attend university. Having completed his BSc (Geology) and PhD at Manchester, he worked as an exploration research geologist in the Norsk Hydro research centre Bergen, Norway, and then for sixteen years at Imperial College before returning to Manchester in 2021. Chris works in the general area of sedimentary basin analysis. When not studying rocks, he gives geoscience lectures to the public and in schools, and has appeared on several Earth Science-focused, television productions and podcasts. Chris is engaged in efforts to improve equality, diversity, and inclusivity in Higher Education. He runs too.