DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) AS A MEANS TO ENABLE AND INFORM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABILITY AS A UNIFYING FRAMEWORK IN GEOSCIENCES

As AGI works to implement a vision of sustainability as a unifying framework across geosciences, it is useful to consider how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) supports and enables that implementation. True sustainability has long been understood to rest equally upon three imperative pursuits: economic prosperity, environmental quality and social justice.

However, long-standing gaps exist within the geosciences’ demonstrated ability to engage, include and retain a broad variety of people and perspectives. These gaps have led to disparate representation in the geosciences workforce and among those who lead and benefit from sustainability and resilience sciences.

Respondents to AGI’s Future of Geosciences Survey in 2021 identified DEI as among the top priorities that geosciences societies must address. This is one of the few issues that both early career and mid-late career respondents identified as a top priority.

While ideas about how to proceed vary, AGI and the AGI Federated societies have taken a broad array of actions to further DEI, while understanding that there is a long way to go. This presentation will outline details of the current situation and describe challenges and opportunities for change in the context of current AGI programming and community initiatives.