Proposals for developing Geoethics in Italy

Abstract

In recent years among geoscientists there is a growing awareness that their scientific and technical choices in each sector of activity (public, professional, industrial, research or teaching) can have significant repercussions on the territory and on the citizens that inhabit it and therefore that it is opportune to accompany these choices with appropriate reflections. Starting from the necessity to reconsider the way of man's relationship to the planet Earth, the geoscientists are wondering about the role played in the social context in which they operate, about their responsibilities in taking decisions on the use of natural resources, on the exploitation and protection of the Geosphere, when they are required to give correct information on hazards, to support the emergency management or to make society aware about the value of own territory as a common heritage to share. Up to 2007 in Italy, many researchers and practitioners have dealt with these issues, but the debate never took place in a coordinated and organized way. In addition, the occasions where to develop these themes were dedicated in wider sense to philosophical, epistemological and social aspects related to the Geosciences. The need to develop a debate on Geoethics with better coordination has been confirmed by the success of the session entirely devoted to Geoethics, hosted for the first time in Italy within the VII Forum of Earth Sciences (Rimini, 2009). The significant number of intervened speakers and discussed topics showed the desire and the importance of going ahead in this cultural path in our country. In any case, it became evident the necessity to organize more effectively those who want to devote to these issues, improving their coordination, expanding the network of contacts and creating more opportunities for the debate. To this end, some ideas are proposed, that aim to create a common space of reflection on Geoethics issues, offering a convenient time for the research and the discussion, a place for organizing and setting the activities, which represents a starting point for the dissemination of these issues within the national and international scientific community and c ivil society.