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Owing to a lack of understanding, and data being unavailable, unusable or unsuitable, weather and climate information is currently underutilized in Sustainable Development Goal implementation. Improvements are essential in knowledge brokering, clarifying responsibilities, multi-institutional and multi-stakeholder governance arrangements and research on systemic risks and decisions.
To reduce the risks and uncertainty that surround volcanic eruptions, attention must be given to all available data. Historical records can provide insight into past eruptions, as well as the social and political responses to volcanic activity.
Ethical dilemmas are regularly encountered by Earth and environmental scientists. Explicit training is required to allow the community to recognize such dilemmas, and to prevent and mitigate ethical issues as they arise.
It can be difficult to balance parental responsibilities with academic life, due to frequent travel, long working hours and fixed term contracts. Prolonged or regular fieldwork can be a particular challenge for geoscientists. Increased financial and institutional support is needed to alleviate the burden often felt by academic parents.
Fieldwork is an integral part of geoscience subjects, but changing career pathways and student demographics have major implications for the future of compulsory fieldwork. The ways in which fieldwork is taught and the learning outcomes it fulfils urgently need updating.
Risk communication in the aftermath of an earthquake can provide actionable information to help vulnerable societies prevent further damage. It is most effective when scientists convey what they know about earthquakes and earthquake risk, instead of focusing on the unknowns.
In the first half of the 20th century, the Earth was already envisioned as a system of interacting parts intertwined with human cultural evolution. Historical sources of Earth Systems thinking can still be relevant in light of current and future trajectories, and may offer insights to inform and rethink present-day discourses and strategies.
First documented in 2014, plastiglomerate continues to proliferate across the Earth’s surface. While these materials represent long-lasting symbols of anthropogenic impacts on the environment, they also highlight the need to address the global plastic crisis.
