The Cape Town Statement on Geoethics

AN N ALS OF GEOPH YSICS, 60, Fast Track 7, 2017; d oi: 10.4401/ ag-7553 The Cape Tow n Statement on Geoethics G IUSEPPE D I C APUA , SILVIA P EPPOLON I Istitu to N azionale d i Geofisica e Vu lcanologia, Italy IAPG – International Association for Prom oting Geoethics giu sep p e.d icap u a@ingv.it, silvia.p ep p oloni@ingv.it P ETER T. BOBROWSKY Geological Su rvey of Can ad a – N atu ral Resou rces Canad a IAPG – International Association for Prom oting Geoethics Peter.Bobrow sky@canad a.ca Abstract Recently the interest by geoscientists in (geo)ethical aspects of geoscience knowledge, education, research, practice and communication has grown considerably. Today the topic of geoethics has gained a significant visibility within the scientific community. The IA PG – International A ssociation for Promoting Geoethics (http://www.geoethics.org), founded in 2012, has worked to widen the discussion and create awareness about issues of ethics as applied to the geosciences. Thanks to continuous voluntary work, the respectful exchange, and fruitful sharing of ideas, the IA PG community has produced a conceptual substratum on which to base the future development of geoethics, by clarifying the meaning of the word “geoethics”, formalizing its definition, and better identifying a framework of reference values on which the geoscience community can base more effective codes of conduct and guidance. The members of the IA PG community have pu blished various books and articles in peer-reviewed international journals, and organized numerous scientific sessions to bring geoethics to the most important geoscience conferences. Geoethical issues have been also included in the European project EN V RI-Plus, which is dedicated to the environmental and solid Earth research infrastructures. The tangible result of these efforts is that, now, many prestigious geoscience organizations recognize geoethics as a fundamental issue, worthy of attention. This result was confirmed by the high quality of content and the large participation of scientists in the six technical sessions and a panel session on geoethics organized by IA PG at the 35th IGC – International Geological Congress, held in 2016 in Cape Town (South A frica). Largely successful due to the cooperative work of different geoscience organizations (IUGS-TGGP – Task Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism; GSL - Geological Society of London; EFG - European Federation of Geologists; EGS - EuroGeoSurveys; A GI – A merican Geosciences Institute; A GU – A merican Geophysical Union, and A A W G – A frican A ssociation of W omen in Geosciences). The IA PG considers the 35th IGC as the scientific event that opened a new phase for furthering the concept of geoethics. In order to mark this milestone, the "Cape Town Statement on Geoethics" (CTSG) was tabled by the IA PG and reviewed in an international effort. It shall focus the attention of geoscientists on the development of shared values, policies, guidelines, strategies and tools, with the long-range goal of fostering the regular adoption of ethical values and practices within the geoscience community. The document summarizes the values, concepts, and contents developed by IA PG so far, providing a perspective for the future development of geoethical thinking. This paper addresses in detail the content of the “Cape Town Statement on Geoethics”, which is now supported officially by several geoscience organizations. 1. IN TROD UCTION n recent years, the geoscience com m u nity has show n a grow ing interest for geoethics. The w ork carried ou t by the IAPG in its first five years of activity has brou ght forw ard tan- I gible resu lts. They have facilitated the grow th of this em erging field of scholarly inqu iry. This inclu d es the pu blication of nu m erou s books and articles w ritten u nd er a peer -review process (Lollino et al., 2014; Peppoloni and Di Capua, 2012 and 2015; Peppoloni et al., 2017; Wyss 1 AN N ALS OF GEOPH YSICS, 60, Fast Track 7, 2017; d oi: 10.4401/ ag-7553 and Peppoloni, 2014) and more than 70 events (scientific sessions, conferences, w orkshops, seminars, etc.) that have been organized worldw ide (http:/ / w ww.geoethics.org/ events, accessed 30 October 2017. The consequ ence is that m ore geoscientists are now d iscu ssing the ethical and social im plications of their w ork (Mansu r et al., 2017; Meller et al., 2017; Stew art and Gill, 2017; Stew art and Lew is, 2017; Vasconcelos et al., 2016) and recognize geoethics as a transversal su bject in geosciences (Bobrow sky et al., 2017). Thanks to the involvem ent of m any geoscientists, it has been possible to provid e geoethics w ith a m ore solid conceptu al su bstratu m (for a su m m ary see Pep poloni and Di Capu a, 2014 and 2017; Bobrow sky et al., 2017). Starting from the etym ological analysis of the w ord s “geo” and “ethics”, a d efinition of geoethics has been elaborated , several geoscience issu es u pon w hich geoethics can ap ply its analyses have been id entified , and a set of geoethical valu es have been p roposed . The latter offer a sort of com m on grou nd of reasoning to be u sed by geoscientists com ing from variou s cou ntries, having often hu ge d ifferences in their cu ltu ral experiences, view s and econom ic perspectives, althou gh need ing to share a com m on geoscience vision. After years of activity, w e are now able to trace a coherent p ath in the theoretical and p ractical d evelopm ent of geoethics that can strengthen its cred ibility in the geoscience com m u nity. The Cape Tow n Statem ent on Geoethics (CTSG), released officially on October 2016, is a d ocu m ent that d efines a conceptu al fram ew ork for the stu d y of geoethics, and provid es a first step to start to explore w hether geoethics cou ld evolve into a new d iscipline, either w ithin geosciences or w ithin ethical sciences. 2. THE CON TEXT The CTSG w as prepared during the 35th Intern ational Geological Congress, held in Cape Tow n (South Africa) in August-September 2016, where IAPG organized six technical sessions and a panel session on geoethics, with a large number of speakers and a diverse and active audience (http:/ / w ww.geoethics.org/ 35th-igc, accessed 30 October 2017). The d ocu m ent is the prod u ct of an international effort, the resu lt of a cooper a- tive w ork that has involved geoscientists from all over the w orld d u ring the period 2012 to 2016. The CTSG’s aim is to focu s the attention of geoscientists on the d evelopm ent of shared policies, gu id elines, strategies and tools, w ith the long-range goal of fostering the w id espread ad option of ethical practices in the geoscience com m u nity. Discu ssions d u ring scientific m eetings, ed itorial projects and other activities carried ou t u nd er the u m brella of IAPG have pr ovid ed the fertile grou nd to circu late id eas and to m ake m ore colleagu es aw are abou t the n ecessity to give geoethics a coherent theoretical fram ew ork stru ctu re. 3. WHY THIS DOCUMENT WAS NECESSARY Ethical and social im plications in geoscience research and practice are becom ing key -aspects in the geoscience p rofession. Geoethics sharpen categories to face the m any issu es that involve both the scientific com m u nities and societies: intellectu al freed om and honesty, responsibility, respect, prevention, ad aptation, and su stainability (Pep poloni et al., 2015; Pepp oloni and Di Capu a, 2016). In ord er to fram e the geoethics d iscu ssion, it w as im p ortant to fix several essential resu lts com ing from a cooperative effort in renew ed thinking abou t geoscience’s role in itself and for society. The prestigiou s International Geological Congress (IGC), that since 1878 has attracted geoscientists from all over the w orld , seem ed the best event to lau nch a statem ent on geoethics as a prod u ct of a scientific com m u nity w ith a high level technical-scientific know led ge, bu t now m ore aw are also of its ethical and social responsibility in practicing geosciences. Since the 34th International Geological Congress, geoethics has reached a m u ch higher level of visibility and stand ing. Moreover, the com m on sp ace of a broad international netw ork of colleagu es and organizations involved in the d iscu ssion on geoethical issu es and the high qu ality contents in books and articles u rged to propose a su m m ary d ocu m ent, w hich gives to the geoscience com m u nity a fram ew ork of reference on geoethics, ou tlines achievem ents, and orientates the fu tu re d evelopm ent of the ethical and social d iscu ssion . 2 AN N ALS OF GEOPH YSICS, 60, Fast Track 7, 2017; d oi: 10.4401/ ag-7553 4. THE CTSG STRUCTURE The CTSG is stru ctu red into several sections (see Append ix A). The “Pream ble” clearly ind icates the overarching objective of the entire d ocu m ent. The “Introd u ction” ou tlines both, the context in w hich geoscientists are now o perating, and the prem ises for follow ing a geoethical ap proach. The section “Definition of Geoethics” d etails the IAPG form u la (originally a contribu tion in Wyss and Pepp oloni, 2014). The form u la is based on the term “ethics” as introd u ced by Aristotle (384-322 BC), and w as d efined w ith the involvem ent of sociologists and philosophers. The section “Pu rpose” d elineates the scope of geoethics, w hy it is essential for the geoscience com m u nity and society. The pu rp ose to em brace geoethics is to im prove the qu ality of research and professional w ork and the cred ibility of geoscientists, foster excellence in geosciences, gu arantee su stain able benefits for com m u nities, protect local and global environm ents, and ensu re the cond itions for a healthy and prosperou s d evelopm ent of fu tu re generations. In the section “Fu nd am ental Valu es of Geoethics” the CTSG lists valu es to be consid ered for an ethical approach to technical and scientific p roblem s related to g eosciences. They regard both the ind ivid u al and the social sphere of geoscientists, in particu lar the fou r d im ensions to consid er in geoethical analysis (self, colleagu es, society, and env ironm ent). The keyw ord is “responsibility”, one that shou ld becom e the fou nd ation of any action of geoscientists, in all the d ifferent field s of their activities (e.g. professional, acad em ic and research field s, ed u cation activity, pu blic em ploym ent, ind u stry) (Pep poloni and Di Capu a, 2016). The section “Geoethical Prom ise” contains a slightly revised version of the Geoeth ical Prom ise, an H ip pocratic-like oath for geoscientists, originally p roposed by Matteu cci et al. (2014). The Geoethical Prom ise is one w ay to em phasize the valu es that you ng scientists m u st keep in m ind d u ring their geoscience career. It is also a tool for senior geoscientists to re-consid er id eals that d irect their activities. The section “Final Statem ent” closes the d ocu m ent, u nd erlying fu tu re environm ental and social challenges, encou raging geoscientists to raise their responsibility, and strengthen the cred ibility of geosciences in ord er to secu re societal tru st. The final statem ent stresses the n ecessity of the d ocu m ent for the geoscience com m u nity in the light of global challenges (energy, w ater, m inerals, georisks, pollu tion, land d egrad ation) that geoscientists face by society. The final version of the CTSG, im proved w ith com m ents and su ggestions of review ers, w as presented at the 35th IGC on 29 Au gu st 2016, d iscu ssed at the 1st IAPG General Assem bly in Cape Tow n on 31st Au gu st 2016, then ratified by the IAPG Execu tive Cou ncil on 26th October 2016 and released officially in the IAPG w ebsite. The CTSG is a reference d ocu m ent and it is su pp orted by 18 geoscience organizations thu s far (http:/ / w w w .geoethics.org/ ctsg, accessed 30 October 2017). In ord er to increase its global im pact, the statem ent w ill be translated into several langu ages, thanks to the cooperation of d ozens of colleagu es, as alread y d one for the Montreal Statem ent on Research Integrity (Peppoloni, 2015). Provid ing access in a nu m ber of langu ages m eans w e can enhance the cu ltu ral d iversity as an elem ent of u nion, throu gh w hich all scientists can share u niversal valu es and strengthen their com m on id entity in social d iversity. 5. CON CLUSION The CTSG shall encou rage a m ore responsible behaviou r of practice in geosciences. It ad d resses firstly the geoscience com m u nity, bu t has im p ortant significance also to society as a w hole, as it synthesizes som e valu es that m u st gu id e hu m an actions w ith respect to the Earth system . Throu gh the CTSG several im p ortant m atters have been recom m end ed that m ay encou rage colleagu es to fu rther their ethical and social role, to d u tifu lly foster excellent science and a professional service to the society. Many colleagu es prom ote a resp onsible w ay to ap proach problem s involving geoscience know led ge and to find reasonable solu tions, based on acceptable com prom ises if need ed . Re-d iscovering also an id eal d im ension in the geoscience profession m eans to w ork m ore effectively for the com m on good , going so beyond the sim ple personal su ccess. 3 AN N ALS OF GEOPH YSICS, 60, Fast Track 7, 2017; d oi: 10.4401/ ag-7553 REFEREN CES Bobrow sky P., Cronin V.S., Di Capu a G., Kieffer S.W., Peppoloni S. (2017). The Em erging Field of Geoethics. In: Scientific Integrity and Ethics w ith Applications to the Geosciences, ed ited by L.C. Gu nd ersen. Special Pu blication Am erican Geop hysical Union, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Lollino G., Arattano M., Giard ino M., Oliveira R., Peppoloni S. (2014). Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volu m e 7 “Ed u cation, Professional Ethics and Pu blic Recognition of Engineering Geology”, XVII, 274 p., Springer, ISBN : 978-3319093024. Mansu r K.L., Ponciano L.C.M.O., De Castro A.R.S.F. (2017). Contribu tions to a Brazilian Cod e of Cond u ct for Field w ork in Geology: an ap proach based on Geoconservation and Geoethics. Anais d a Acad em ia Brasileira d e Ciências (Annals of the Brazilian Acad em y of Sciences), vol. 89, no. 1, su pl. 0, 431-444. Matteu cci R., Gosso G., Pep poloni S., Piacente S., Wasow ski J. (2014). The “Geoethical Prom ise”: A Prop osal. Episod es, Vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 190-191. Meller C., Schill E., Bremer J., Kolditz O., Bleicher A., Benighaus C., Chavot P., Gross M., Pellizzone A., Renn O., Schilling F., Kohl T. (2017). Acceptability of geothermal installations: A geoethical concept for GeoLaB. Geoethermics, Available online 14 August 2017: http:/ / www.sciencedirect.com/ science/ article / pii/ S0375650517300858, accessed 4 October 2017. Peppoloni S. (2015). Sharing ethical principles through cultural diversity. Translations of the Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross Boundary Research Collaborations. IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics: http:/ / www.geoethics.org/ translationsms, accessed 30 October 2017. Peppoloni S., Bobrow sky P., Di Capu a G. (2015). Geoethics: A Challenge for Research Integrity in Geosciences, p p. 287-294, d oi: 10.1142/ 9789814632393_0035. In: Steneck N ., And erson M., Kleinert S., Mayer T. (Ed s.), Integrity in the Global Research Ar ena, 336 pp., World Scientific Pu blishing Co, ISBN : 9789814632386. Peppoloni S. and Di Capu a G. (2012). Geoethics and geological cu ltu re - Reflections from the Geoitalia Conference 2011. Annals of Geophys- ics, Vol. 55, No 3, p.163: http:/ / www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/ index.php / annals/ issue/ view/ 482, accessed 30 October 2017. Peppoloni S. and Di Cap u a G. (2014). The Meaning of Geoethics. In: Wyss M. and Peppoloni S. (Ed s), Geoethics: ethical challenges and case stu d ies in Earth Science, 450 p., Elsevier, Waltham , Massachu setts, ISBN : 9780127999357. Peppoloni S. and Di Capu a G. (2015). Geoethics: the Role and Responsibility of Geoscientists. Geological Society, Lond on, Special Pu blications, 419, ISBN : 9781862397262. Peppoloni S. and Di Capu a, G. (2016). Geoethics: Ethical, social, and cu ltu ral valu es in geosciences research, p ractice, and ed u cation, pp. 17-21, d oi: 10.1130/ 2016.2520(03). In: Wessel G.R. and Greenberg J.K. (Ed s), Geoscience for the Pu blic Good and Global Developm ent: Tow ard a Su stainable Fu tu re: Geological Society of Am erica Special Paper 520, 2016, ISBN : 9780813725208. Peppoloni S. and Di Capu a G. (2017). Geoethics: ethical, social and cu ltu ral im plications in geosciences. Annals of Geophysics, 60, Fast Track 7, d oi: 10.4401/ ag-7473. Peppoloni S., Di Capua G., Bobrowsky P.T., Cronin V. (2017). Geoethics at the heart of all geoscience. Annals of Geophysics, Vol 60, Fast Track 7: http:/ / www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/ index.php / annals/ issue/ view/ 537, accessed 30 October 2017. Stew art I.S. and Gill J.C. (2017). Social geology integrating su stainability concepts into Earth sciences. Proceed ing of the Geologists’ Association, Volu m e 128, Issu e 2, Pages 165–172. Stew art I.S. an d Lew is D. (2017). Com m u n icating contested geoscience to the pu blic: Moving from ‘m atters of fact’ to ‘m atters of concern’. Earth-Science Review s, Volu m e 174, Pages 122-133. Vasconcelos C., Torres J., Vasconcelos L., Mou tinho S. (2016). Su stainable Developm ent and its Connection to Teaching Geoethics. Ep isod es, vol. 39, n. 3, pp. 509-517. Wyss M. and Peppoloni S. (2014). Geoethics, Ethical Challenges and Case Stu d ies in Earth Sciences. p. 450, Elsevier, ISBN : 9780127999357. 4 AN N ALS OF GEOPH YSICS, 60, Fast Track 7, 2017; d oi: 10.4401/ ag-7553 APPEN D IX A THE CAPE TOWN STATEMEN T ON GEOETHICS Preamble The concepts, valu es and view s on ind ivid u al resp onsibilities of geoscientists, expressed in the “Cape Tow n Statem ent on Geoethics” r eflect an international consensu s. The statem ent aim s to captu re the attention of geoscientists and organizations, and to stim u late them to im prove their shared policies, gu id elines, strategies and tools to ensu re they consciou sly em brace (geo)ethical professional cond u ct in their w ork. Introduction Geosciences have m ajor im pacts on the fu n ctioning and know led ge-base of m od ern societies. Geoscientists have specific know led ge and skills, w hich are requ ired to investigate, m anage and intervene in variou s com ponents of the Earth system to su p port hu m an life and w ellbeing, to d efend people against geohaz ard s and to ensu re natu ral resou rces are m anaged and u sed su stainably. This entails ethical obligations. Therefore, geoscientists m u st em brace ethical valu es in ord er best to serve the pu blic good . Geoethics is an em erging su bject, w hich pr om otes a w ay of thinking and practicing geosciences, w ithin the w id er context of the roles of geoscientists interacting w ith colleagu es, society and the planet. Only by gu aranteeing the intellectu al freed om of researchers and practitioners to explore and d iscover in the Earth system , is it possible for geoscientists to follow ethical ap proaches in their w ork. Likew ise, only by increasing r esearchers’ and practitioners’ aw areness of the ethical im plications of their w ork is it possible to d evelop excellent geoscience to serve society and to red u ce the hu m an im pact on the env ironm ent. D efinition of Geoethics Geoethics consists of research and reflection on the valu es w hich u nd erpin ap propriate behaviou rs and practices, w herever hu m an activities interact w ith the Earth system . Geoethics d eals w ith the ethical, social and cu ltu ral im plications of geosciences know led ge, ed u cation, research, p ractice and com m u nication, and w ith the social role and resp onsibility of geoscientists in cond u cting their activities. Purpose Em bracing geoethics is essential: to im prove both the qu ality of p rofessional w ork and the cred ibility of geoscientists, to foster excellence in geosciences, to assu re su stainable benefits for com m u nities, as w ell as to protect local and global environm ents; all w ith the aim of creating and m aintaining the cond itions for the healthy and prosperou s d evelopm ent of fu tu re generations. Fundamental Values of Geoethics  H onesty, integrity, transparency and reliability of the geoscientist, inclu d ing strict ad herence to scientific m ethod s;  Com petence, inclu d ing regu lar training and life-long learning;  Sharing know led ge at all levels as a valu able activity, w hich im plies com m u nicating science and resu lts, w hile taking into a ccou nt intrinsic lim itations su ch as probabilities and u ncertainties;  Verifying the sou rces of inform ation and d ata, and ap plying objective, u nbiased peer-review processes to technical and scientific pu blications;  Working w ith a spirit of cooperation and reciprocity, w hich involves u nd erstand ing and respect for d ifferent id eas and hypoth eses;  Respecting natu ral processes and phenom ena, w here possible, w hen planning and im plem enting interventions in the env ironm ent;  Protecting geod iversity as an essential a spect of the d evelopm ent of life and biod iversity, cu ltu ral and social d iversity, and the su stainable d evelopm ent of com m u n ities;  Enhancing geoheritage, w hich brings together scientific and cu ltu ral factors that have intrinsic social and econom ic valu e, to strengthen the sense of belonging of people for their environm ent; 5 AN N ALS OF GEOPH YSICS, 60, Fast Track 7, 2017; d oi: 10.4401/ ag-7553   Ensu ring su stainability of econom ic and social activities in ord er to assu re fu tu re generations’ su p ply of energy and other natu ral resou rces. Prom oting geo-ed u cation and ou treach for all, to fu rther su stainable econom ic d evelopm ent, geohazard prevention and m itigation, environm ental protection, and increased societal resilience and w ell-being. Geoethical Promise The ad option of the follow ing H ipp ocratic-like oath (the “Geoethical Prom ise”) by early -career geoscientists is p rop osed , to prom ote respect for geoethics valu es in geoscience research and practice: I promise… … I will practice geosciences being fully aware of the societal implications, and I will do my best for the protection of the Earth system for the benefit of humankind. … I understand my responsibilities towards society, future generations and the Earth for sustainable development. … I will put the interest of society foremost in my work. … I will never misuse my geoscience knowledge, resisting constraint or coercion. … I will always be ready to provide my professional assistance when needed, and will be impartial in making my expertise available to decision makers. … I will continue lifelong development of my geoscientific knowledge. … I will always maintain intellectual honesty in my work, being aware of the limits of my competencies and skills. … I will act to foster progress in the geosciences, the sharing of geoscientific knowledge, and the dissemination of the geoethical approach. … I will always be fully respectful of Earth processes in my work as a geoscientist. I promise! Final Statement It is essential to enrich the roles and responsibilities of geoscientists tow ard s com m u nities and the environm ents in w hich they d w ell, as w ell as p aying attention to each scientist’s ind ivid u al conscience and relationship s w ith colleagu es. H u m an com m u nities w ill face great environm ental challenges in the fu tu re. Geoscientists have know -how that is essential to orientate societies tow ard s m ore su stainable practices in ou r consciou s interactions w ith the Earth system . Applying a w id er know led gebase than natu ral sciences, geoscientists need to take m u ltid isciplinary ap proaches to econom ic and environm ental problem s, em bracing (geo)ethical and social perspectives. Geoscientists are p rim arily at the service of society. This is the d eeper pu rpose of their activity. In the com ing years, especially w hen ad d ressing m atters like energy su pply, u se of geo resou rces, land m anagem ent, pollu tion abatem ent, m itigation of geo-risks, and clim ate change ad aptation and m itigation, ethical and social issu es w ill be central in scientific d iscu ssion and in pu blic d ebate. In ad d ition, hand ling large qu antities of d ata, science and risk com m u nication, ed u cation strategies, issu es of r esearch integrity, anti-harassm ent and antid iscrim ination policies, gend er balance and inclu sion of those living w ith d isabilities w ill be m ajor topics for geoscientists. Raising the (geo)ethical aw areness and com p etences of the m em bers of the geoscience com m u nity is essential, also to increase tru st and cred ibility am ong the pu blic. This can best be achieved in the near fu tu re by tw o m eans: by prom oting m ore effectively existing gu id ance su ch as cod es of ethics/ cond u ct and research integrity statem ents; and by introd u cing geoethics into geoscience cu rricu la, to m ake geoethics a basic featu re of the training and professional activity of geoscientists. N ote: The Cape Town Statement on Geoethics was prepared during the 35th IGC – International Geological Congress in Cape Town, South A frica (27 A ugust – 4 September 2016). Drafting Committee: Giuseppe Di Capua, Silvia Peppoloni, Peter T. Bobrowsky. W ith the contribution of: N ic Bilham, M artin Bohle, A ndy Clay, Emilia Hermelinda Lopera-Parejas, David M ogk. A pproved by the IA PG Executive Council on 26 October 2016. W ebsite: http://www.geoethics.org/ctsg 6