International Association for Promoting Geoethics Nigeria - Official blog

A need to re-define “Human Geology” from a geoethical point of view

by Ndzishepngong Kelvin Ngwang*

Ndzishepngong Kelvin Ngwang

Geo-Environmental Resource Association (GERAS) 
Coordinator of IAPG-Cameroon 
email: ndzishepngong@gmail.com


Picture at the top: Hong Kong, by James Gould-Bourn (from www.boredpanda.com)

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this paper solemnly engage the author

After reading the post on the Blog GeoPolicy [1], I started to reflect on direct relationships between human beings and the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and the biosphere. This led me to think about "Human Geology" which is an expression I have hardly come across during geosciences research.
A google search of the expression "human geology" led me to some definitions beyond my expectations.
On the Journal of Socialomics [2], human geology is defined as "... one of the two major branches of geography and it is often called cultural geography".
The Blog Geology in Art [3] talks about human spaces and human minds as geological places. The following two definitions of "Human Geology" are given there:

• Human geology could be the set of human processes resembling sedimentation. In a certain sense, cities are "human geologies".
• Human geology could also refer to the structural organization of the mind. In other words, human geology is the geology inside, as expressed by the intricate structure of the human mind (and brain).

Another post at website Serendip Studio [4] on human geology compares the responses to different levels of stress of the earth and the human body.
From the above mentioned approaches and definitions, I feel that a less value has been considered for the expression "Human Geology" than it might be. "Human geology" can be valorized as an expression linked to the "Anthropocene" concept.
From my point of view, "human geology" should be connected to the direct interaction of human beings with the geosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the biosphere. It should highlight the physical and chemical transformation of these spheres due to the actions of human beings and the direct impacts of the modifications of these spheres on human beings. The modification of these spheres can either be due to human beings themselves, or to other living beings or natural processes in general. 
Human geology should also highlight the positive and negative impacts of these interactions; the adaptation and mitigation measures towards the negative impacts; and the promotion of the positive impacts. 
The differences and similarities between human geology and environmental geology should be clarified. For example, if landslides and floods occur, the human geology component should be the number of people directly affected through deaths and injuries; meanwhile the modification of the slopes, erosion of the river beds, deposition of eroded and displaced earth material constitutes the environmental geology component; moreover, we have the economic, cultural and social components that also have to be distinguished.
Emerging concepts like "Urban Geology" should be also included in the discussion and further debates in order to valorize "Human geology" as an essential aspect if we look at the Earth in a geoethical perspective.


References

[1] GeoPolicy: Assessing environmental and social impact – applying policy in big industry:http://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/2016/02/17/geopolicy-assessing-environmental-and-social-impact-applying-policy-in-big-industry/?platform=hootsuite (Accessed on 14 March 2016).
[2] Journal of Socialomics: Human Geology, list of high impact articles:http://www.omicsonline.org/scholarly/human-geology-journals-articles-ppts-list.php (Accessed on 14 March 2016).
[3] Human Geology: http://geologyinart.blogspot.com/2010/02/human-geology.html (Accessed on 14 March 2016).
[4] Human Geology: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/breaking/human-geology (Accessed on 14 March 2016).

*About the Author:

Ndzishepngong Kelvin Ngwang is a Cameroonian geoscientist, holder of a Master of Sciences (MSc) in Earth Sciences from the University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon. His MSc thesis was on Environmental Geology with focus on landslides. He has work experience with the Cameroon’s Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development (MINMIDT) and a broad knowledge on the management of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). His career development goals are focused on leadership, strategic planning and organizational development, project management, capacity building, communication, and fundraising. His career interests are Mining, Environment and Sustainable Development, Geoethics, Scientific research, Administration, and consultancy services. He is the National Coordinator of the International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) – Cameroon Section; and one of the alumni of the Minerals and Energy for Development Alliance (MEfDA).

International Association for Promoting Geoethics Nigeria - Official blog

Geoethics: more important than ever because of the climate change

by Jonathan Gómez Cantero

Jonathan Gomez Cantero

Geographer, climatologist, master in Planning and Management of Natural Hazards 
IAPG-Young Scientist Club 
email: jonathan.cantero@geografos.org


Picture at the top: Flooded Mekong, by Anna Lourantou (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Disclaimer: the views expressed in this paper solemnly engage the author

Without any doubt, Geoethics is increasingly gaining acceptance among other geoscientific fields and each day, more and more people are accepting theGeoethical Promise in order to take a responsible stand on the environment, people’s safety, sustainability.
It’s beyond doubt that even the best scientists must have an ethical attitude at work.
In a few years, climate change will highlight malpractice and will expose those works that haven’t been done properly. For instance, when discussing about floods, it is well known that some areas of the planet will increase their propensity to be flooded.
In those places where the precautionary, sustainability or safety principle won’t have been applied, many irresponsible attitudes regarding the environment will come to light.

Acting against soil erosion
(Credit: by Irene Angeluccetti,
distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

The situation to which climate change leads us due to temperature rises, droughts, floods, the collapse of biodiversity, more extreme weather events makes more necessary than ever to adopt an ethical stand in those territories, since the consequences of not acting in an ethical way could be extremely harmful for the nature as well as for the human being.
Land management will have to take into account the changes in some return periods of phenomena, the use of the natural resources will have to be reasoned and the protection of nature will have to be as effective as possible.
An ethical perspective in geoscientific works (geography, geology, environmental sciences, engineering) will be valued in the future, and if not achieved, the situations expected from the climate change will unveil everything that hasn’t been done appropriately.

Unfortunately, we have already seen dozens of cases in which a vulnerable location and a land mismanagement have provoked the lost of lives or caused a significant damage to the environment and infrastructures; we must all collaborate to prevent this from happening.

The Paris Convention on Climate Change (COP21) would have also to discuss this issue, that surely will be crucial in the future. The best measures of adaptation and mitigation of the climate change could start by developing a geoethical attitude and let’s hope that in the following climate summits this will be a topic to tackle that helps in raising awareness and mitigating future damages.

Figures

At the top: Flooded Mekong - Mekong river flooded in Cambodia, october 2011 (Credit: Anna Lourantou, distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

In the middle: Acting against soil erosion - Group photo after the completion of a gabion check dam (traitement de ravine in french). While the techniques of soil and water conservation are relatively widespread in the northern regions of Burkina Faso they are misknown in the South where the effects of both climate change and human pressure are becoming visible (Credit: Irene Angeluccetti, distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

International Association for Promoting Geoethics Nigeria - Official blog

Geoethics: great news from Morocco!

Celebration of DESAME 2016 in Morocco – The Day of Earth Sciences in Africa and the Middle East. Theme of this year: Geoethics, Geoheritage, Georesources and Geoenvironment. Activities take place at the Université Chouaib Doukkali (El Jadida) on 17, 19 and 21 March 2016. In particular, we point out the following events:

On 17 March 2016, from 16:00 to 18:00, conference of Ezzoura Errami, President of the African Association of Women in Geosciences (AAWG), and Continental Coordinator for Africa of the International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG). Ezzoura gives a speech titled: "Earth Sciences serving society".

On 21 March 2016, conference of Boumediene Tanouti, past President of the Université Chouaib Doukkali – El Jadida. He gives a speech titled: "Science and Ethics: a conflictual relationship", followed by a debate about the creation of a reflection group on Geoethics, as a joint initiative AAWG, IAPG and AGN (African Geoparks Network).

Thanks to Ezzoura Errami for the organization of these important events and initiatives in Morocco.