Geology for Global Development

Guest Blog: Anthropogenic climate change – what does this mean for groundwater resources in Africa?

Laura Hunt November 28, 2017

On the 25th October, Laura Hunt (Cardiff University) attended the joint meeting of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and the Hydrogeological Group of the Geological Society, which included the Ineson Lecture at the Geological Society of London. It is a common misconception that Africa is an entirely dry, arid continent, parched for water. A resource that we in the UK take alm ...[Read More]

Jesse Zondervan’s #GfGDPicks (Nov 2017): How did people in ancient times fare during climate changes? Should we use geoengineering? #SciComm

Jesse Zondervan November 16, 2017

Each month, Jesse Zondervan picks his favourite posts from geoscience and development blogs/news, relevant to the work and interests of Geology for Global Development . Here’s a round-up of Jesse’s selections for the past month: How successful were people in the Neolithic and ancient times in adapting to climate change? Two contrasting stories emerged this month: A new study from Past Global Chan ...[Read More]

Robert Emberson: Geomythology – Why understanding cultural traditions of landscape are important for sustainable development

Robert Emberson November 16, 2017

Every culture has myths and legends about their native lands. Before we understood the geological forces that forced up great ranges of mountains or sculpted barren deserts, humans needed an explanation for the scale and majesty of natural phenomena. Stories of deities inhabiting volcanoes, or angry gods shaking the very ground upon which people lived, helped people make sense of disasters when te ...[Read More]

Heather Britton: Sinkhole Occurrence and Mitigation

Heather Britton November 10, 2017

Sinkholes are often overlooked geohazards which, although far less destructive in the short-term than earthquakes and landslides, can be catastrophic to life and severely impact the built environment. This post will explore how these features form and the strategies that have been adopted to predict their appearance. It will also consider how urbanisation in karstic areas is accelerating sinkhole ...[Read More]

Guest Blog: Africa, Groundwater and the Sustainable Development Goals

Charlotte Copley November 8, 2017

Africa faces a range of groundwater and development issues such as a lack of groundwater data, rising populations and urbanisation. On the 25th October Charlotte Copley attended the joint meeting of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) and the Hydrogeological Group of the Geological Society, which included the Ineson Lecture at the Geological Society of London. With only two hydr ...[Read More]

Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo: Urban Geology and Underground Urbanisation

Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo October 31, 2017

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]

GfGD Annual Conference 2017 – Cities and Sustainable Development

Dr Joel C. Gill October 30, 2017

Since the Sustainable Development Goals were agreed in 2015, Geology for Global Development has been at the forefront of mobilising and equipping the geoscience community to engage and make a positive contribution. In 2015, we organised the first major gathering of geologists/Earth scientists anywhere in the world to explore our role in delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Over ...[Read More]

Jesse Zondervan’s #GfGDPicks (Oct 2017): Tsunami risk in Geneva, storms in Mumbai, floating runways in Fiji, a river with legal rights, #SciComm

Jesse Zondervan October 23, 2017

Each month, Jesse Zondervan picks his favourite posts from geoscience and development blogs/news, relevant to the work and interests of Geology for Global Development . Here’s a round-up of Jesse’s selections for the past two weeks: If you thought we were safe from Tsunamis in Europe, think again. I was surprised to find out Geneva experienced a Tsunami in 563 triggered by a mudslide. On a simila ...[Read More]

Introducing Our New Authors (4) – Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo

Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo October 13, 2017

We’ve been introducing you to a couple of new faces on the GfGD blog, bringing fresh ideas and perspectives on topics relating to geoscience and sustainable development. We’re delighted to have their input, and look forward to their posts. Today we interview the final of our four new recruits, Bárbara Zambelli Azevedo. Hello! Could you introduce yourself? I finished my graduation in Geological Eng ...[Read More]

Robert Emberson: Soil Erosion and Sustainable Development

Robert Emberson October 11, 2017

Over the last few weeks we’ve introduced you to some new faces on the GfGD blog, including Robert Emberson, Heather Britton and Jesse Zondervan. Today, Robert (based in Victoria, Canada) writes on the connections between soil erosion and sustainable development, and poses the question – is soil one of our most threatened resources? When we talk about sustainable energy sources, most of the ...[Read More]