| The most actual goals of geoethics have been formulated as results of the International Conference on Geoethics (October 2013) held at the geoethics birth-place Pribram (Czech Republic):
In the sphere of education and public enlightenment an appropriate needed minimum know how of Earth sciences should be intensively promoted together with cultivating ethical way of thinking and acting for the sustainable well-being of the society.
The actual activities of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Changes are not sustainable with the existing knowledge of the Earth sciences (as presented in the results of the 33rd and 34th International Geological Congresses). This knowledge should be incorporated into any further work of the IPCC.
In the sphere of legislation in a large international co-operation following steps are needed: - to re-formulate the term of a “false alarm” and its legal consequences, - to demand very consequently the needed evaluation of existing risks, - to solve problems of rights of individuals and minorities in cases of the optimum use of mineral resources and of the optimum protection of the local population against emergency dangers and disasters; common good (well-being) must be considered as the priority when solving ethical dilemmas.
The precaution principle should be applied in any decision making process. Earth scientists presenting their expert opinions are not exempted from civil, administrative or even criminal liabilities. Details must be established by national law and jurisprudence. The well known case of the L´Aquila earthquake (2009) should serve as a serious warning because of the proven misuse of geoethics for protecting top Italian seismologists responsible and sentenced for their inadequate superficial behaviour causing lot of human victims. Another recent scandal with the Himalayan fossil fraud will be also documented.
A support is needed for any effort to analyze and to disclose the problems of the deformation of the contemporary science very closely connected with many practical problems in Earth sciences. In the framework of discovering the real and complete truth a broad and open discussion is needed. Possible alternative solutions of any problem are to be admitted in the interest of the common good. Any effort trying to misuse peer reviewing process should be avoided.
An open and efficient discussion should be started with media emphasizing their high responsibility for promoting ethical way of thinking and acting as well as a correct promotion of geoethics in the world.
Geological art (geoart) should be developed and oriented to a further cultivation of nobility and spirituality of the human kind as well as of its sensibility to the Nature and to the Earth.
In mining activities protection of the environment should be always considered by limitation of unwanted environmental impact and by revitalizing areas abandoned by the exploitation.
The relatively new and rapidly growing field of nano-materials and other advanced materials and innovation should be taken into consideration because of the existing real visions to replace classical mineral resources in a near future.
(This contribution is planned as an introductory overview of ethical and geoethical problems; double time will be needed.) |