COGEOENVIRONMENT

(This paper was prepared in December 1995 and released by COGEOENVIRONNMENT as a brochure. For further information, or copies of this paper, contact COGEOENVIRONMENT Secretary-General, Dr. Peter Bobrowsky)

Introduction

The earth sciences underwent dramatic changes in the last quarter of this century. Major progress has been achieved in the fields of tectonophysics, geochemistry, the study of past climates, basin analysis, sequence stratigraphy, seismic tomography, as well as data acquisition and processing techniques (e.g. Cordani, 1993). In addition, various developments in society and science beyond the geoscientific scene have brought geosciences much more into the public eye. In the Sixties and early Seventies most geoscientists were employed in the mining industry, especially in mineral and hydrocarbon exploration. Unemployment among geoscientists was rare. This picture changed in the Eighties when world market prices for practically all minerals and for oil and natural gas dropped dramatically. As a result the number of geoscientists employed in these industries decreased.

In the same period another fundamental change took place: an increasing concern for the deteriorating state of the natural environment resulted in a wide-spread call for action. This process was speeded up considerably by the publication of the Brundtland report 'Our Common Future' in 1987 and further stimulated by the Rio Conference in 1992 and the adoption of its statements and Agenda 21 by 179 nations (c.f. Keating, 1993). The 'Environment' became a central issue in policy making in the late Eighties. Many new jobs in this field were created in the public sector and numerous studies on environmental topics were commissioned to environmental consultancy firms that were springing up everywhere. Environmental Impact Assessment studies became mandatory in order to evaluate the environmental sustainability of planned major developments. Numerous, often more fundamental studies on the geological disposal of hazardous materials (e.g. radioactive waste), boosted new developments in geosciences, e.g. in the field of geological modelling.

The change in scale of man's interference in the natural environment is reflected in the quantity of earth materials that is directly and indirectly moved by human activity. According to Seibolt (1990), in industrialized countries for every person, about 20 tonnes of earth materials are moved every year. For the total population of the world this amounts to about 20 billion tonnes per year. This is equal to the volume of oceanic crust produced annually at the mid-oceanic ridges. Man has now become a major geological agent. The transport of these enormous quantities of earth materials reflects both economic growth and the population increase (Lüttig, 1984), coupled with current changes in man's habitat: a change from rural towards urban living. Only a hundred years ago, there were no cities with a population of 5 million inhabitants. In the year 2000 there will be 60 such cities. Half of the world's population of 7 billion people will by then live in urbanised areas which would cover only 0.7% of the total earth surface. The urbanisation rate can be as high as 6% per year and more in some countries (de Mulder, 1994). These developments have strongly increased the importance of the geological stability of cities and their immediate surroundings.

Finally, geoscientists have faced another major trend during the past few decades: internationalisation and globalisation. This is partly due to the abolition of frontiers between nations, e.g. by the creation of the European Union in 1993, but also by the collapse of the centralist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe. More importantly, environmental problems generally do not stop at national frontiers. They may even have a world-wide nature, which necessitates an international approach. This has affected the work of geoscientists dealing with environmental problems. As experts, some of our colleagues are currently attending large international meetings, many of which are spin-offs of the Rio Conference. On a scientific level, an increasing number of geoscientists became involved during the Seventies and Eighties in the successful International Geological Correlation (IGCP) Projects (organised jointly by IUGS and UNESCO) and later in core projects of the International Union of Geological Sciences' (ICSU) International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). Many of them have contributed on an international and global level to the United Nation's International Decade on Natural Disaster Reduction (Ayala Carcedo, 1992).

The Commission of Geological Sciences for Environmental Planning (COGEOENVIRONMENT)

Apart from the team of 9 officers in which representatives of all continents were included, some 215 Corresponding Members in 75 countries contribute to the Commission by providing access to their professional networks and by their individual input in the Newsletter which is issued twice a year. Substantial financial contributions were received from Supporting Members, including Geological Surveys and related organisations from many countries, National Ministries of the Environment and Economic Affairs, and IUGS. As a consequence of its interdisciplinary character and as a potential policy tool, COGEOENVIRONMENT established many official links with other related organisations, such as IAEG, IAH, UNESCO, AGID, ICSU (SCOPE), INQUA, IAMG, IAG, CSPG, ISCRP, COGEOED and COGEOINFO.

COGEOENVIRONMENT's Projects

Another COGEOENVIRONMENT Project was completed in 1993 through the publication of a brochure entitled 'Planning and Managing the Human Environment: the essential role of the Geosciences'. 6,000 copies of this brochure have since been distributed all over the globe and a Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Russian translation of this brochure are in preparation.

Traditionally, the ICSU Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) has particularly been dealing with biological, biochemical, hydrological, oceanographic or metereological disciplines to describe the problems of the environment. So far, hardly any attention has been paid to the geological sciences during its 25 years of existence. Therefore, a major breakthrough occurred when SCOPE endorsed a COGEOENVIRONMENT project entitled 'Impact of Urbanisation and Mining on earth surface processes'. This project with a duration of three years is in full progress now and aims to describe and quantify the volumes of earth materials transported as a result of urbanisation and (related) mining operations, and the changes in the natural earth surface processes (i.a. erosion and sedimentation) which will be generated by these activities. These will be illustrated by means of selected case studies from different parts of the world and in different socio-economic/technological contexts. Furthermore, a worldwide prognosis on future changes in these interactions will be made based on various population and global change scenarios. This project has been placed in the Global Change cluster of SCOPE and is implemented in close cooperation with the IGBP core project Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ). The project results will be made available for decision-makers and politicians to be incorporated in Environmental Impact Assessment studies, which to date pay insufficient attention to such impacts on times cales of more than about 5 years and at distances of more than 5 kilometers from the planned development. The project will be conducted in close cooperation with the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG), the International Association of Engineering Geologists (IAEG), the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), the International Working Group on Urban Geology (IWGUG), and the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISCRP). The project will be almost entirely sponsored by external funds.

COGEOENVIRONMENT's International Working Groups

Another major COGEOENVIRONMENT initiative was the creation of the International Working Group on Urban Geology in 1992. Because many of the major city problems are related to their geological and hydrological conditions and those in their surroundings, e.g. flooding, land subsidence, groundwater pollution, soil contamination, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, coastal and river erosion, landslides, sinkholes, soft and expansive soils causing foundation instability, etc., an international platform in which geoscientists and non-geoscientists could discuss issues of mutual interest concerning urban development was created. This platform developed into the International Working Group on Urban Geology (IWGUG) on COGEOENVIRONMENT's initiative. Both the International Association of Engineering Geology (IAEG), and the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) followed this initiative and joined as founding fathers.

The Objectives of the Working Group are derived from the Terms of Reference, and read:

1. To create a platform for discussions between earth scientists and non-earth scientists charged with urban planning and management;
2. To exchange views and expertise between earth scientists working in urban areas by organising symposia and workshops;
3. To act as an interface on matters concerning urban geology with major international, intergovernmental bodies;
4. To compile the results of urban geological studies and research via publications;
5. To encourage, initiate, and support management of major projects in urban geology.

Concluding remarks:

References:

• Ayala Carcedo, F.J.: (1992): Natural Disasters in the World,1991.Geoenvironmental engineering, GeoMining Technological Institute of Spain.

• Berger, A.C. (1992): Towards an International Checklist of Environmental Geo-indicators. Newsletter 2 COGEOENVIRONMENT (De Mulder, ed.), Geological Survey of the Netherlands, Haarlem.

• Cordani, U. (1993): Message on the occasion of the opening of the 29th International Geological Congress, in Kyoto. Proc. Int. Geol. Congr., pp. 29-31. Kyoto (Japan).

• De Mulder, E.F.J. (1994): Background of the International Working Group on Urban Geology. Proc. Landplan IV, Beijing, P.R. China.

• ESCAP (1987): Geology and Urban Development; Atlas of Urban Geology, 1. Bangkok.

• ESCAP (1988a): Urban Geology in Asia and the Pacific; Atlas of Urban Geology, 2. ST/ESCAP/586, 228 p., Bangkok.

• ESCAP (1988b): Urban Geology of coastal lowlands in China; Atlas of Urban Geology, 3. ST/ESCAP/624, 168 p., Bangkok.

• Keating, M. (1993): The Earth Summit's Agenda for Change; a plain language version of Agenda 21 and the other Rio agreements. Centre for Our Common Future, Geneva.

• Lüttig, G.W. (1984): Study of aggregates requirements and resources. Proc. Int. Symp. on Aggregates, IAEG, Theme 1, pp. 1-19.

• Mattig, U. & E.F.J. de Mulder (1994): The World's Geo-Environmental Problems: An Inventory. Proc. 7th Int. Congr. Int. Ass. Engineer. Geol., p. 4687-4691, Balkema,Rotterdam.

• McCall, J. (1994): Geoscience and the urban environment in developing countries. Geoscientist, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 28-31.

• Seibolt, E. (1990): Geology and the Environment - Keynote to EUG V Symposium 11. Engineering Geology, 29, pp. 273-277.