Documents and online resources
on topics of interest for geoethics
Picture credit: www.jjay.cuny.edu/
Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
("This Recommendation addresses ethical issues related to the domain of Artificial Intelligence to the extent that they are within UNESCO’s mandate. It approaches AI ethics as a systematic normative reflection, based on a holistic, comprehensive, multicultural and evolving framework of interdependent values, principles and actions that can guide societies in dealing responsibly with the known and unknown impacts of AI technologies on human beings, societies and the environment and ecosystems, and offers them a basis to accept or reject AI technologies. It considers ethics as a dynamic basis for the normative evaluation and guidance of AI technologies, referring to human dignity, well-being and the prevention of harm as a compass and as rooted in the ethics of science and technology")
UNESCO 2022
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2023 State of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector
(The 2023 State of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector is a collaboration between the World Bank’s Extractives Global Programmatic Support Multi-Donor Trust Fund (EGPS) and Pact)
World Bank 2023
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The Global Risks Report 2023
(Insight Report, 18th Edition. In partnership with Marsh & McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group)
World Economic Forum, 2023
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Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]
February, 2022
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The Jena Declaration
Cultural and regional dimensions of global sustainability
UNESCO-Chair on Global Understanding for Sustainability (University of Jena, Germany)
March, 2021
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The Global Risks Report 2022
(Insight Report, 17th Edition. In partnership with Marsh & McLennan, SK Group and Zurich Insurance Group)
World Economic Forum, 2022
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Biodiversity and Climate Change
Scientific Outcome of the IPBES-IPCC co-sponsored workshop
June 2021
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In the Section 4.2 "Human and Social Dimensions" (page 49) you can read the following sentences, that include also the definition of geoethics by IAPG:
"Ethical behaviour with respect to nature (“geoethics”) is at the core of several discussions regarding adaptation. The values which underpin appropriate behaviours and practices wherever human activities interact with the Earth system play an important role in the awareness of society regarding problems with biodiversity and NCP. Ethical, social, and cultural implications of both scientific knowledge and humankind’s role as an active geological force on the planet and the ethical responsibility that this implies need to be addressed in every plan of action (Bobrowsky et al., 2017). This includes equity issues linked to biodiversity related interventions. These are often not distributionally neutral and have equity implications both within and between generations."
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The paper on geoethics cited in the document is:
Bobrowsky, P., Cronin, V. S., Di Capua, G., Kieffer, S. W., & Peppoloni, S. (2017). The emerging field of geoethics. Sci. Integr. Ethics Geosci, 73, 175.
This paper can be read here:
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Lisbon Declaration on Humanities, Open Research and Innovation
Result of the European Humanities Conference 2021
Lisbon, 7 May 2021
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Guidelines for geoconservation in protected and conserved areas
(by Crofts R., Gordon J.E., Brilha J., Gray M., Gunn J., Larwood J., Santucci V.L., Tormey D., and Worboys G.L.)
Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 31. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-2079-1, doi:10.2305/IUCN.CH.2020.PAG.31.en.
IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2020
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Promoting Gender Diversity and Inclusion in the Oil, Gas and Mining Extractive Industries
A Women’s Human Rights Report
(by R. Park, B. Metzger, and L. Foreman)
The Advocates for Human Rights, January 2019
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Global Research Report
Research Integrity: Understanding our shared responsibility for a sustainable scholarly ecosystem
(by Szomszor M. and Quaderi N.)
Institute for Scientific Information, October 2020
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White Paper on Citizen Science for Europe
(by Sanz F.S., Holocher-Ertl T., Kieslinger B., Sanz García F. and Silva C.G.)
European Commission, 2014
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Sorbonne Declaration on Research Data Rights
(Association of American Universities (AAU), African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), Coordination of French Research-Intensive Universities (CURIF), German U15, League of European Research Universities (LERU), RU11 Japan, Russell Group, The Group of Eight (Go8), U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities)
27 January 2020
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The Global Risks Report 2020
(Insight Report, 15th Edition. In partnership with Marsh & McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group)
World Economic Forum, 2020
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Land Restoration for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
(United Nations - Environment, International Resource Panel)
United Nations, 2019
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Global Sustainable Development Report 2019
(Independent Group of Scientists appointed by the Secretary-General, Global Sustainable Development Report 2019: The Future is Now – Science for Achieving Sustainable Development, (United Nations, New York, 2019))
United Nations, 2019
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Towards a new generation of policies and investments in agricultural water in the Arab region
(Borgomeo, E.; Santos, N. [2019]. Towards a new generation of policies and investments in agricultural water in the Arab region: fertile ground for innovation. Rome, Italy: FAO; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 124p. doi: 10.5337/2019.207)
Rome, 2019
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Decoupling - natural resource use and environmental impacts from economic growth
(UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme: A Report of the Working Group on Decoupling to the International Resource Panel)
France, 2011
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Declaration of Antananarivo on geological heritage and its conservation in Africa
(Nicolas Charles - PanAfGeo, Djimadoum Nambatingar - Organization of African Geological Surveys, Enrique Diaz-Martinez - European Association for the Conservation of Geological Heritage, Ezzoura Errami - African Association of Women in Geosciences and African Geoparks Network)
Antananarivo (Madagascar), 8 June 2019
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Soil Erosion - the greatest challenge for sustainable soil management
(Dan Pennock, University of Saskatchewan, Canada)
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2019
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Ethics in Science Education, Research and Governance
(Edited by Kambadur Muralidhar, Amit Ghosh, Ashok Kumar Singhvi)
Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, India, 2019
ISBN: 978-81-939482-1-7
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GAR - Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2019
(United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction)
This fifth edition of the United Nations Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR) is being issued four years after the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (Sendai Framework).
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Best practice guidelines for the use of the geoheritage in the city of Segovia
A sustainable model for environmental awareness and urban geotourism
(Juana Vegas and Andrés Díez-Herrero)
Town Hall of Segovia and Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), 2018
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Geoengineering: the need for governance
(Janos Pasztor, Nicholas Harrison, Ying Chen, Arunabha Ghosh, Ronny Jumeau, Carlos Nobres, Jesse Reynolds)
Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative (C2G2), February 2019, New York, USA
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Global Material Resources Outlook to 2060
(OECD - Economic Co-operation and Development)
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Key Features of Complex Adaptive Systems
Regimes Shifts in Social-Ecological Systems
Earth's Social-Ecological Systems Stewardship
(Centre for Complex Systems in Transition, Stellenbosch University)
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Download "Key Features of Complex Adaptive Systems"
Download "Regimes Shifts in Social-Ecological Systems"
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Cobalt: demand-supply balances in the transition to electric mobility
(European Commission - JRC Joint Research Centre - Science for Policy Report)
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The expansion of the electric vehicle market globally and in the EU will increase exponentially the demand for cobalt in the next decade. Cobalt supply has issues of concentration and risk of disruption, as it is mainly produced in Democratic Republic of Congo and China. According to our assessment these risks will persist in the future, likely increasing in the near term until 2020. Minerals exploration and EV batteries recycling can make for an improvement in the stability of cobalt supply from 2020 on, which together with the expected reduction in the use of cobalt, driven by substitution efforts, should help bridge the gap between supply and demand. Despite this, worldwide, demand is already perceived to exceed supply in 2020 and such a loss making trend is expected to become more consistent from 2025 on. In the EU, although the capacity to meet rising demand is projected to increase through mining and recycling activities, there is an increasing gap between endogenous supply and demand. The EU's supplies of cobalt will increasingly depend on imports from third countries, which underscores the need for deploying the Raw Materials Initiative and the Battery Alliance frameworks.
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Mosi-oa-Tunya Declaration on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining, Quarrying and Development
(ASM18 delegates)
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Five-hundred and forty-seven delegates, representing 72 nations assembled in Livingstone, Zambia between the 11-13 September, 2018 for the International Conference on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining and Quarrying (ASM18) to chart a vision for sustainable development. ASM18 was the largest international gathering of artisanal and small-scale miners and quarry workers ever assembled. An historic outcome of ASM18 was the adoption of the ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya Declaration,’ the first declaration of its kind in over a decade. The 'Mosi' Declaration uses the traditional name of Victoria Falls, located adjacent to the conference venue and builds on earlier ASM conference declarations from Harare (1993), Washington (1996), and Yaoundé (2002).
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Download the English version
Download the French version
Download the Spanish version
Download the Portuguese version
Towards a Pollution-Free Planet
(United Nations - Environment Assembly)
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Towards a Pollution-Free Planet is the theme of the 2017 UN Environment Assembly. In line with this theme, UN Environment's Executive Director is preparing an official report on pollution, which outlines global pollution challenges; describes how acting on pollution helps achieve the sustainable development goals; and discusses a framework for a global agenda to address pollution.
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Statement on Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction
(member academies of IAP - InterAcademy Partnership for Science)
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This Statement is a consolidation, with additions and revisions, of the Tokyo Statement, the Tokyo Action Agenda, a proposal entitled “the Promotion of International Study for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience and the Reduction of Disaster Risks”, and a statement entitled “Strengthening Disaster Resilience is Essential to Sustainable Development”. The Tokyo Statement was adopted in January 2015 and the Tokyo Action Agenda was approved at the same time at the Tokyo Conference on International Study for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience. “Promotion of International Study for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience and the Reduction of Disaster Risks” was issued by the Science Council of Japan in February 2016, and “Strengthening Disaster Resilience is Essential to Sustainable Development” was published in April 2016 as part of the G-Science Academies Statement 2016.
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The rights and responsibilities of scientists position statement
(AGU)
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Position statement by AGU - American Geophysical Union, released on April 2017.
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Ethics Education in Science
(ALLEA)
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Statement by the ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Science and Ethics.
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Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(United Nations)
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On 25 September 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.
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Towards Sustainable Mining
(The Mining Association of Canada)
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Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) is the Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) commitment to responsible mining. It is a set of tools and indicators to drive performance and ensure that key mining risks are managed responsibly at our members’ facilities.
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Global Climate Dashboard
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA)
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An easy access to climate data, products, and services:
- Global Average Temperature (ËšC)
- Carbon Dioxide (ppm)
- Spring Snow Cover (million km2)
- Global Average Sea Level (mm)
- Ocean Heat (10^22 Joules)
- September Arctic Sea Ice (1000 km2)
- Sun's Energy (W/m2)
- Glaciers (meters of water equivalent)
- Heat-Trapping Gases
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Position statement on water stewardship
(ICMM - International Council on Mining and Metals)
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This position statement sets out ICMM members’ approach to water stewardship. Water stewardship is the use of water in ways that are socially equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial.1 Effective stewardship requires collaboration and concerted action from all parties, including government, civil society, business and local communities through inclusive stakeholder engagement. The commitments in this position statement require members to:
- Apply strong and transparent water governance.
- Manage water at operations effectively.
- Collaborate to achieve responsible and sustainable water use.
The position statement will not apply retrospectively.
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Working Group on the 'Anthropocene'
The 'Anthropocene' is not a formally defined geological unit within the Geological Time Scale. A proposal to formalise the 'Anthropocene' is being developed by the 'Anthropocene' Working Group for consideration by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, with a current target date of 2016.
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COP21: The Paris Agreement
An international agreement to face climate change and unleash actions and investment towards a low carbon, resilient and sustainable future was agreed by 195 nations in Paris on 12 December 2015.
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ICMM statement on climate change
Climate change is an undeniable and critical global challenge, and its causes must be addressed by all parts of society. ICMM member companies are committed to being part of the solution .....
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Global Risks Report 2017
(World Economic Forum)
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Now in its 12th edition, The Global Risks Report 2017 completes more than a decade of highlighting the most significant long-term risks worldwide, drawing on the perspectives of experts and global decision-makers.
"... Further challenges requiring global cooperation are found in the environmental category, which this year stands out in the GRPS. Over the course of the past decade, a cluster of environment-related risks – notably extreme weather events and failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as water crises – has emerged as a consistently central feature of the GRPS risk landscape, strongly interconnected with many other risks, such as conflict and migration. This year, environmental concerns are more prominent than ever, with all five risks in this category assessed as being above average for both impact and likelihood. ...".
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