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Geology is gradually being withdrawn from the school curriculum in the UK, and risks losing its identify as a distinct subject. GeoBus provides workshops and support for Earth science education, inspiring teachers and pupils to engage with fundamental questions in geology.
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.
Businesses must understand and act to reduce their environmental footprint. Springer Nature has been working to address the impacts of its publishing operations since 2017, lowering office-based carbon emissions and improving sustainable practices.
Travel is a key part of academic life, and the carbon emissions associated with it are high. Personal decisions to reduce flying can contribute to climate action, and need not compromise research.
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.
As Nature Reviews Earth & Environment publishes its inaugural issue, we encourage Earth scientists to break down disciplinary barriers and collaborate with broader communities in pursuit of alleviating the environmental challenges of the modern world.
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.
