RATIONAL SCIENCE FOR RATIONAL POLICY: GEOLOGY IN SERVICE OF SOCIETY

Geology has not yet taken its appropriate place in public policy discussions at any level of government. Most citizens are unaware of the role that natural geological processes play in their daily lives. Although other fields of science have become popularized and bring their science to development of policy, laws, and regulations, geology is still poorly understood or misunderstood. Nowhere is this better displayed than in Texas, where earth science has been removed from the core curricula of public schools, despite a state budget for education that depends largely on income from oil and gas production.

In a broader perspective, we have not protected the resources upon which our Society depends. We have not protected the watersheds and aquifers of this country from contamination or overuse. We fail to limit inappropriate land use in floodplains, on unstable soils, or legislatively recognize the dangers to communities from landslides, earthquakes, and volcanoes.

We argue among ourselves about the environmental impact of resource extraction and use, but we have not helped our country establish the rational science that will determine our environmental priorities. We intellectually understand that sustainability of energy and water are the most pressing geological issues facing us, but we have not addressed them.

How can we address these issues?