The Objectives of COGEOENVIRONMENT are: To increase awareness among the general public of the essential contribution of geoscience to sound planning and management of the environment.   To encourage increased understanding among planners and decision-makers of the value of the geosciences in planning the use and protection of the environment.   To strengthen the interest and participation of the geoscience community in the planning process, and encourage a greater sensitivity to the economic, social and political constraints involved.   To encourage the environmentally sound use of mineral, energy, soil and water resources for sustainable development.   To monitor the contribution of geoscience to environmental planning and management.   To promote the research required for better understanding of environmental processes and for the development of new approaches and methods for solving environmental problems.   To improve capabilities to predict and forecast the evolution of the land, and the geological processes that affect society in the short and medium term, especially with regard to environmental impact assessments and natural hazards.   To improve communications, cooperation and the flow of information among earth scientists and other professionals working in this field, especially in those countries where environmental problems are most severe.