SUSTAINABILITY, GEOLOGICALLY SPEAKING

Because of our natural inclination and also because of training, geologists possess at least three superpowers essential for moving into the future: an appreciation of the wonders of nature, a view of the big picture of how earth processes and life are intimately connected, and an understanding of the significance and depth of time. We can use these talents to address what may be the greatest challenge ever faced by the human species, which is to successfully adapt to the changes we must undergo to become a sustainable part of the ecosystem. Our first step is to define what we mean by “sustainable” from a geological perspective.

In 1987, the Brundtland Report defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” but we cannot know today what the needs of future generations will be or how they will be valued.

Liebenthal et al. in 2005, stated that for extractive industries, extraction can be considered sustainable if net benefits (profits) are used to benefit people in the host country. However, short-term monetary profits cannot be exchanged for long-term environmental or social damages because those costs cannot be monetized.

Geologists work with the surface and shallow subsurface of the Earth, including its rocks, soils, structure, and hazards. Human development also impacts the surface and shallow subsurface of the Earth. As such, based upon geologic insights for five aspects of development (location, water usage, waste management, site disturbance, and natural habitat), we can propose a definition of sustainability that can be used to judge human developments of all types: Sustainability, geologically speaking, requires managing Earth's resources to meet current needs without affecting future availability. It requires eliminating environmental impacts, maintaining and expanding ecosystem health, and ensuring a long-term balance between economic activity, environmental restoration, social/environmental justice and societal well-being through full-cost accounting.

As geologists, the superpowers we bring to the table can help guide the elimination of our negative impacts on the planet and then go further to undo impacts of the past. What better reason is there to do this than to benefit our grandchildren, great grandchildren and the generations after theirs?