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| Image credit: Geological Society |
.@JoelCGill describing the importance of geology & geologists in meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals #GfGDConf pic.twitter.com/TXNwYnNx0D
— Geological Society (@geolsoc) October 30, 2015
Soils and cities
Two scientists from the British Geological Survey touched
on some particularly interesting examples of unlikely connections with geology
and development.
We heard from Dr Michael Watts about how soil geochemistry is being used to maximise the potential to grow
nutrient rich crops in places where people lack vital nutrients in their diets.
In many areas of Malawi, people are suffering from selenium deficiency, which can
cause a weakened immune system and an underactive thyroid. By increasing the
alkalinity of the soil it may be possible to increase the amount of selenium in
the plants that grow in that soil.
In a world that is becoming increasingly
urbanised, Dr Katherine Royse stressed the importance of consulting geologists in urban developments. The
subsurface is a finite resource and is being utilised in every possible way
beneath cities, for transport, water works, electricity distribution and much
more. In London, many infrastructure and building projects end up costing 50%
more because developers weren’t aware of subsurface conditions from the outset.
These examples highlight the necessity for
geologists to be included in discussions about health, about sustainable cities
and about many other Global Goal themes. Geologists have much to bring to the
table.
What did you say?
Of course, a big focus of the GfGD
conference was about how we can communicate our science to people with no
scientific background. If we want to use geology to help better prepare people
for natural disasters, or to help make communities more resilient to climate
change, explaining simple geological processes in a way that people understand
is absolutely key. And often we need to take a step back to get exactly what
angle the person we’re communicating to is coming from.
One particularly striking example of
communication was introduced by Solmaz Mohadjer and related to children in Tajikistan who wondered why earthquakes were
happening to them. Earthquakes happen all over the world and that seems obvious
to us, but it’s not necessarily obvious to everyone. These children came up
with all sorts of explanations for the earthquakes they were experiencing
including that the Earth was balanced on a tower of elephants!
Through
educational tools that the children, teachers and teacher trainers can understand,
everyone can learn why earthquakes happen and how they can best protect
themselves from them.
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| Children came up with all sorts of explanations for the earthquakes they were experiencing including that the Earth was balanced on a tower of elephants! Image credit S. Mohadjer (ParsQuake.org) |
But we also need to remember we can’t just
march in with all the answers. Jonathan Stone from TearFund encouraged us to be aware of what it
is that makes someone an expert. The expert isn’t the person who comes along
with the scientific explanation, ‘letting knowledge out like a dam’, the new
expert is the person who encourages and inspires others to act for themselves.
Inspiring a new generation of geologists
Yet another inspring #gfgdconf! New perspectives and examples of putting geology into practice in sust dev @Geo_Dev pic.twitter.com/mI9NRI8ysh
— GfGD Bristol (@GfGDBristol) October 30, 2015
Many Bristol GfGD members who came to the
conference didn’t really know what to expect and went away with new
perspectives on their subject. With ideas of how geology fits into all sorts of
careers, not just the usual oil and mining sector. And with a view of how geology
is one cog in the giant machine that is trying to tackle many of the world’s
problems through the Global Goals.
The part of the conference that our group
found most poignant were the views of early career geologists on how
sustainability is integral to their job. In particular, we heard an account
from exploration geologist, Sarah Craven, who was calling for people to become
ambassadors for sustainability within the mining industry or indeed whichever sector
they choose to go into.
Creating a generation of geologists who are
mindful of their impact and who are aware of how they can use their skills to
positively contribute to international development is at the heart of GfGD.
We lingered at the end of the conference,
still in awe of our surroundings at the Geological Society. The buzz in the
room was a tell tale sign that the 3rd Annual conference had
achieved what it set out to do. Posing questions about how geology fits into
the Global Goals, showing us what great work geologists are already doing and
inspiring us to go after these opportunities ourselves. Let’s hope when the
outcomes of the Global Goals are reviewed in 2030 that we’ll be able to say,
“geologists helped to make that happen!”
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This blog has been written by Cabot Institute member Emily White, a postgraduate student in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol.
If you want to find out more about this society, request to join our Facebook group.
Bristol GfGD would like to thank the Bristol University Alumni Foundation for supporting this trip.
For many of the resources from the conference, please go to the conference webpage.
This blog has been written by Cabot Institute member Emily White, a postgraduate student in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol.
Bristol GfGD would like to thank the Bristol University Alumni Foundation for supporting this trip.
For many of the resources from the conference, please go to the conference webpage.
