A Geological Service for Europe: building trust through interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Geology encompasses all of the Earth sciences and thus is multidisciplinary. It does not respect geopolitical borders, so requires teamwork across disciplines and between nations. Applying geological solutions to climate change increasingly requires transdisciplinary teamwork. This extends well beyond the geosciences to inform on issues of universal concern, e.g., deployment of renewable energy, management of groundwater resources, mitigation of climate-induced geohazards, and more. To achieve sustainability and success in these fields, it is essential to employ knowledge of subsurface, land, and subsea geology for the discovery, tracking, preservation, regulation, and exploitation of resources. This knowledge also supports integrated and coherent surface and subsurface spatial planning and the creation of cohesive laws guided by scientific insights. This in turn requires multi-stakeholder collaboration between scientific and governmental agencies, industry, and civil society, from research design to data and knowledge application. Such a broad spectrum of engagement is at the heart of the concept of a Geological Service for Europe, founded on a long history of collaboration between the Geological Surveys of Europe –extending networks, fostering innovation, sharing knowledge, building capacity and common standards. Given the current lack of public knowledge and negative perceptions of geology, collaborative efforts based on objective science can have a significant impact on building trust. This contribution highlights the collaboration of the Geological Surveys of Europe with non-geoscientific partners in serving society, supporting nature, and delivering the Green Deal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

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