International Year of Planet Earth 8. Natural Hazards in Canada

Canada, the second largest country in the world, is subject to every hazardous natural process on Earth − large earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic eruptions, landslides, snow avalanches, floods, hurricanes, tornados, severe storms, drought, and sea-level rise. Fortunately, much of the country is sparsely populated; hence risk from these hazardous processes is localized to small areas adjacent to the Canada−US border, where most Canadians live. The greatest risk comes from earthquakes and landslides on the populated south coast of British Columbia and parts of southern Ontario and Québec; from floods in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, or Toronto; and from hurricanes in Halifax and St. John’s. In the long term, Canada’s coastlines are threatened by sea-level rise and Canada’s northern indigenous peoples are threatened by permafrost thaw caused by global warming. SOMMAIRE Deuxième plus grand pays de la planète, le Canada est exposé à chacun des risques naturels sur Terre – grands séismes, tsunamis, éruptions volcaniques, glissements de terrain, avalanches de neige, inondations, ouragans, tornades, fortes tempêtes, sécheresses, et hausse du niveau de la mer. Heureusement, le pays est peu peuplé en grande partie, et donc, le risque associé à ces phénomènes naturels est restreint à des bandes étroites le long de la frontière séparant le Canada et les États-Unis, là où la plupart des Canadiens vivent. Les risques les plus élevés proviennent des séismes et des glissements de terrain le long de la côte sud peuplée de la Colombie-Britannique et certaines portions du sud de l’Ontario et du Québec; d’inondations dans les villes de Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, et Toronto; et, d’ouragans à Halifax et à Saint-Jean. Au long terme, les côtes canadiennes sont exposées à la hausse du niveau de la mer, et les peuples autochtones du Nord canadien sont menacés par le dégel du pergélisol découlant du réchauffement climatique

The Cape Town Statement on Geoethics

Recently the interest by geoscientists in (geo)ethical aspects of geoscience knowledge, education, research, practice and communication has grown considerably. Today the topic of geoethics has gained a significant visibility within the scientific community. The IAPG – International Association for Promoting Geoethics (http://www.geoethics.org), founded in 2012, has worked to widen the discussion and create awareness about issues of ethics as applied to the geosciences. Thanks to continuous voluntary work, the respectful exchange, and fruitful sharing of ideas, the IAPG community has produced a conceptual substratum on which to base the future development of geoethics, by clarifying the meaning of the word “geoethics”, formalizing its definition, and better identifying a framework of reference values on which the geoscience community can base more effective codes of conduct and guidance. The members of the IAPG community have published various books and articles in peer-reviewed international journals, and organized numerous scientific sessions to bring geoethics to the most important geoscience conferences. Geoethical issues have been also included in the European project ENVRI-Plus, which is dedicated to the environmental and solid Earth research infrastructures. The tangible result of these efforts is that, now, many prestigious geoscience organizations recognize geoethics as a fundamental issue, worthy of attention. This result was confirmed by the high quality of content and the large participation of scientists in the six technical sessions and a panel session on geoethics organized by IAPG at the 35th IGC – International Geological Congress, held in 2016 in Cape Town (South Africa). Largely successful due to the cooperative work of different geoscience organizations (IUGS-TGGP – Task Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism; GSL - Geological Society of London; EFG - European Federation of Geologists; EGS - EuroGeoSurveys; AGI – American Geosciences Institute; AGU – American Geophysical Union, and AAWG – African Association of Women in Geosciences). The IAPG considers the 35th IGC as the scientific event that opened a new phase for furthering the concept of geoethics. In order to mark this milestone, the "Cape Town Statement on Geoethics" (CTSG) was tabled by the IAPG and reviewed in an international effort. It shall focus the attention of geoscientists on the development of shared values, policies, guidelines, strategies and tools, with the long-range goal of fostering the regular adoption of ethical values and practices within the geoscience community. The document summarizes the values, concepts, and contents developed by IAPG so far, providing a perspective for the future development of geoethical thinking. This paper addresses in detail the content of the “Cape Town Statement on Geoethics”, which is now supported officially by several geoscience organizations

Comet/Asteroid Impacts and Human Society: An Interdisciplinary Approach

In 1908 an atmospheric explosion in northern Siberia released energy equivalent to 15 Mton of TNT. Can a comparable or larger NEO affect us again? When the next NEO strikes Earth will it be large enough to destroy a city? Will the climate change significantly? Can archaeology and anthropology provide insights into the expected cultural responses with NEO interactions? Does society have a true grasp of the actual risks involved? Is the Great Depression a good model for the economic collapse that could follow a NEO catastrophe? This volume provides a necessary link between various disciplines and comet/asteroid impacts