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Geology for the wellbeing economy

Nature Geoscience (2023)Cite this article

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The recent emergence of a new economic model that is focused on the pursuit of human and ecological wellbeing — the wellbeing economy — offers a fresh framework for geology to contribute to society. The challenge will be to extend the social purpose of geology beyond material and financial goals to the ultimate ends of sustainability through delivering long-term wellbeing for all.

Geology is in the grip of a crisis of confidence. Amidst critical introspection about the lack of diversity and inclusion within the Earth science community, university geology programmes around the world are struggling to convey the relevance of the discipline to new recruits and society at large. Part of the disconnect is the stark incongruence of the fossil fuel energy sector with action on the climate emergency. But also problematic is that despite the attractive lure of the green growth agenda, the demands of decarbonization have not shifted the public’s distaste for mining and mineral resource exploitation. Given this popular disenchantment with geology’s traditional vocational heartlands, many on the outside would appear to regard the field as a fossil discipline stuck in the past.

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Acknowledgements

The British Academy is thanked for Newton-Khalidi funding for the El Hassan Research Chair in Sustainability, which supported this work along with funds from the UNESCO IGCP project 685 on ‘Geology for Sustainable Development’

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  1. El Hassan Research Chair in Sustainability, Royal Scientific Society, Amman, Jordan

    Iain Stewart

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  1. Iain Stewart
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Correspondence to Iain Stewart.

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Stewart, I. Geology for the wellbeing economy. Nat. Geosci. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01110-1

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