ABSTRACT
Earth scientists have made a major contribution over the last century to extracting materials from the ground. Many of those same skills will be used to be applied to put materials into the ground in a more intelligent and more sustainable manner, whether that material is water, nuclear or toxic waste or perhaps even CO2. We also need to refocus some of the available earth science expertise so that we can develop a better understanding of soil formation and erosion, surficial processes and landscape evolution. Universities, research institutions and geological surveys must become more concerned about the surface and near surface issues and perhaps less concerned with the core and lower mantle. Finally, the earth scientist must be active in Our life support system is the consequence of, and dependent on a complex interplay of physical chemical and biological processes. Those processes are being increasingly perturbed by human activity. A common perception is that the earth scientist is mainly concerned with “the problem” through involvement in resource extraction but in fact the earth sciences have a key role to play in “the solution”. Contributing to solving problems of sustainability requires earth science involvement in determining the nature magnitude and rate of change, both pre-anthropogenic and anthropogenic. But more than this, earth scientists can contribute directly to the resolution of many identified problems whether in the urban environment, the coastal zone, the subsurface or the atmosphere. But this will require the application of existing skills in new ways. For example seeking a strengthened dialogue with other disciplines including planners, environmentalists, sociologists, economists, and many others if we are to sustain our life support system for the benefit of present and future generations.
