SURVEYING ROADBLOCKS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (EJ) ENGAGEMENT IN THE EARTH SCIENCES

Environmental justice (EJ) has become a focus for numerous fields and has promoted pioneering transdisciplinary work spanning the social sciences and STEM fields to address how pervasive discriminatory systems have impacted communities through the environments they inhabit. However, not all fields have engaged in this endeavor. Earth science fields, for instance, are well equipped to inform the public regarding dynamic processes that are becoming more unstable owing to the effects of climate change, but have just begun discussing how these processes can adversely affect communities disproportionately. In addition, Earth scientists understand processes such as flooding, soil contaminant migration, aerosol modeling as well as hydrogeology. Earth science classrooms at various stages of the learning ladder are now introducing EJ topics, with some schools and institutions actively recruiting Earth scientists who specialize in this pertinent field. Unfortunately, the pool of qualified instructors is sparse with no set standards or professional EJ certification, similar to a professional geologist certification, to gauge the merits of aspiring EJ scholars with an Earth science skill set. Our research survey aims to expand on this discussion by exploring and quantifying the attitudes and information Earth scientists have regarding EJ engagement, and will highlight the potential roadblocks for expanding field involvement in the topic. The survey will be available during the conference and we will recruit more respondents during the session.