As this year’s pandemic spreads through Brazil, our own Bárbara Zambelli notices a positive shift in the natural environment. In this article, she wonders, what if we shift from an ethics of exhaustion, to one of abundance? This, she argues, is what geoethics is about. [Editor’s note: This post reflects Bárbara’s personal opinions. These opinions may not reflect official policy positions of Geolog ...[Read More]
Barbara shares ideas on effective science communication. She explains why we should be interested, based on her own observations of emerging movements such as Flat Earthers and climate change deniers in the US and Brazil. How can we build trust in science? I would like to make an invitation to all my fellow scientists. Let’s make our research accessible! Use social media, Instagram, YouTube, Twitt ...[Read More]
How much water do you think you’re using? When you eat 200 g of beef, you are using more than 3,000 liters of water. Regular blog author Bárbara Zambelli helps us understand how we can alleviate climate-change-related water stress in countries around the world, just through our choices of consumption. [Editor’s note: This post reflects Bárbara’s personal opinions. These opinions may not reflect of ...[Read More]
As the theme of this month is science communication, I’d like to share some of my own experiences with geoscience communication and public perception of geosciences. I was born and raised in Minas Gerais – the most traditional mining state of Brazil. Nowadays it is internationally recognized for recent environmental disasters such as the failure of the Brumadinho and Fundão tailings dams. I ...[Read More]
Rainfall-related geohazards in Brazil’s poorer, mountainous city margins could be mitigated using better urban planning and communication. Our own Brazilian blogger Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo explores the problem and possible solutions. I come from Brazil, a country well-known for its beautiful landscapes, football and carnival. Ok, some stereotypes are true, indeed. Situated in the middle of the So ...[Read More]
Many of us seek adventures, new experiences and sights in far flung places, but very often there are beautiful wonders right on our doorstep. In today’s post, Barbara Zambelli Azevedo highlights how the promotion of local geological regions can be a valuable and effective way to encourage development and instil a sense of pride in local communities. Plato said in the Allegory of the Cave th ...[Read More]
In many countries, access to clean and safe to drink water is often taken for granted: the simple act of turning a tap gives us access to a precious resource. In today’s post,Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo, discusses how over population of coastal areas and a changing climate is putting ready access to freshwater supplies under threat. Water is always moving downwards, finding its way until it ge ...[Read More]
Take a look and try to identify anything around you that has phosphorus as a component. Phosphorus – the P element – is critical for life, like oxygen, nitrogen and carbon, being present in every plant, animal and bacteria. It constitutes cell walls, DNA, RNA and ATP, which transports energy to the brain. Our bones and teeth include phosphorus. Now look again and you might see that pho ...[Read More]
The importance of access to safe drinking water in our lives is quite obvious. Although its relation with gender equality and sustainable development may be less so. In this article, Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo explores the relationship between the two and discusses what geoscientists can do to improve the situation. In 2017, according to the WHO, over 2.1 billion people still don’t have access to sa ...[Read More]
Today is World Cities Day, and the week of our annual conference exploring the role of geoscience in sustainable cities. To mark these events, our newest contributor, Bárbara, writes on urban geology and underground urbanisation. Underground urbanisation is not a brand new topic, it has been discussed for more than 100 hundred years! But, why is it important to think about underground urbanisation ...[Read More]