Geology for Sustainable Development is a 5-year initiative to champion the role and contribution of geoscience in helping address the pressing challenges of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although Earth science expertise can inform and guide practical action across all the UN SDGs, the principal themes of geoscientific input are in the broad resource development areas of Energy, Minerals, and Water, and in the acute societal threats of Climate Change and Disaster Risk. The project serves as a direct link between academic and industry geoscientists and UNESCO, the only United Nations organization with a mandate to support research and capacity-building in geology and geophysics, principally through its global engagement platform the International Geoscience Programme, jointly supported by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).  

​

"Most geoscientists would agree that Earth science knowledge, experience, and guidance are essential tools for tackling society’s most acute global concerns. But too few geologists are currently engaged in addressing directly the complex and contested issues around how we balance economic livelihoods and human wellbeing with wise planetary stewardship. The Sustainable Earth Scientist, therefore, serves as a critical platform to gather, inspire and motivate the next generation of geoscientists to rise to the energy, resource, and environmental challenges of the 21st century."

 

Professor Iain Stewart 
UNESCO Chair in Geoscience and Society
University of Plymouth, UK.

​