Geology for Global Development

economic geology

The ethical questions behind the school climate strike. Do we have a place in earth’s ecosystems? Jesse Zondervan’s February 2019 #GfGDpicks #SciComm

March 5, 2019
The ethical questions behind the school climate strike. Do we have a place in earth’s ecosystems? Jesse Zondervan’s February 2019 #GfGDpicks #SciComm
A school strike in Melbourne, Australia. Julian Meehan / School Strike, CC BY-SA

Each month, Jesse Zondervan picks his favourite posts from geoscience and development blogs/news which cover the geology for global development interest. This month’s picks include: The ethical questions behind the school climate strike; Military worries about the fight against sea-level rise – how will you help? Do we have a place in earth’s ecosystems? School climate strikes As school clim ...[Read More]

New mining frontiers: Digging into the unknown

June 5, 2018
New mining frontiers: Digging into the unknown
The gorgonian sea fan Callogorgia americana and symbiotic brittle stars from a site at approximately 350 meters depth in the Green Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico. In the bottom left of the image are some small, brown anemones that have colonized a portion of the skeleton of the sea fan. . Credit: Lophelia II 2010 Expedition, NOAA-OER/BOEMRE. .

While climate change occupies the headlines as our biggest long-term concern for sustainability,  there may well be further anthropogenic challenges that arise in the next century as we disrupt the delicate interplay of natural ecological and geological cycles to satisfy the need for resources of our ever-growing population. The mining industry makes for a pertinent example: it sits on the verge o ...[Read More]

Circular economy of metals and responsible mining

April 24, 2018
Circular economy of metals and responsible mining
Open pit iron mine, Itabira - Brazil (Credit: Bárbara Zambelli)

In today’s post, Bárbara Zambelli, considers how we can transition business models towards a more sustainable way of living, manufacturing and consuming. As I mentioned before in my post about Urban Geology and Underground Urbanisation, according to the UN report, the current world population of 7.6 billion is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030 and 9.8 billion in 2050. In addition, the pe ...[Read More]

Weighing up the pros and cons of artificial coral reefs

April 12, 2018
Weighing up the pros and cons of artificial coral reefs
Coral reef near Bohol island, the Phillipines. Due to rising global temperatures and human activity these ecosystems are disappearing. . Credit: Matthias Alberti (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu).

The world’s oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and contain 97% of Earth’s water. They play a key role in the climate cycle and, though perhaps not always visibly, are suffering significantly under our changing climate. An place where we can see the alarming effects of rising temperatures and increasingly acidic waters is coral reefs, which experienced the longest, most widespread, and possibl ...[Read More]