Why are Earth Sciences Important?

Why should you want a better understanding of Earth Sciences?  Here's why:

Nearly everything that we do is connected in some way to the physical Earth; it's lands, oceans, atmosphere, plants and animals.  The materials used for our homes and offices, the clothes that we wear, our sources of energy, our drinking water, the air that we breathe and the food that we eat.  All of our high-tech tools are in some way derived from our planet. The Earth Sciences offer an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to understanding Earth and apply knowledge from biology, chemistry, physics, ecology and mathematics to tackle complex issues.  As our human population approaches 8 billion people, and if we wish to maintain and improve the quality of life on this planet, then we are required to understand and appreciate the complex processes that control our planet.

NASA
(Photo care of: NASA, printed in USA Today)

The Professional Geologists of Ontario, the regulatory organization for Earth Scientists in Ontario, has produced the following short videos to demonstrate the importance of Earth Sciences to the people of Ontario and the world. To view these videos to learn more about the role of Earth Scientists in our world, click Why Geoscience is Important?

In addition, the United Nations has listed seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, or SDG's, that address the many global problems that must be solved for a better and more sustainable future for all inhabitants of our planet.  Of the seventeen SDG's, nine include a major Earth Sciences component, such as climate change, clean water, affordable energy, natural hazards and responsible production and consumption. To see more on how Earth Scientists are major players in the future of our planet, click United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG’s)
 

Preserving Geodiversity on Earth

The Future of Earth Sciences

Our highly technological society depends on a steady supply of resources that are explored for by earth scientists, including metals and petroleum products.  Electric cars, wind turbines, and solar cells, seen as solutions to our carbon-dependent economy, are all built with resources extracted from the Earth.  In the future, we need to ensure that resources are extracted sustainably with a minimal impact on the environment.  The videos below, produced by the INFACT Project, discuss how the resource industry plans to do this:

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