Geoethics to Face Natural Risks by Improving Societal Resilience

Abstract

Risks determined by natural phenomena cannot be cancelled entirely but can be reduced by minimizing their destructive effects. At present, scientists can predict, though with a certain degree of uncertainty, the onset and the evolution over time of most natural events. Scientific progress provides societies with advanced tools and methods to defend people, such as predictive models, monitoring instruments, early warning systems, and safe building standards. Nevertheless, the defence against natural risks should consider the ethical and social aspects involved in a risk scenario: this is fundamental to help the human community recover after a disaster and support science to identify possible solutions for an acceptable living with natural phenomena. Geoethics promotes the reflection on values that should guide human interaction with the territory and the associated and interlinked individual and collective responsibilities. Geoethics discusses issues and practices in natural risk management and fosters geoeducation and risk communication as a means to improve societal resilience.