Noam Chomsky has said that humanity is approaching its most dangerous period. Earth and its main irresponsible invasive species have reached a state of unprecedented emergency.
This session aims to address the vital space between science and societal change—a space defined by the intertwined challenges of how we educate and communicate:
o about the increasingly dangerous human and planetary predicament that we face (individually and as a species),
o about devastating global heating (climate change) and ocean degradation, and
o about the accelerating destructive impact of humanity on the very resources that it needs to survive.
We believe that climate, ocean and geoethics literacy must become the focus of all education and training, in all subjects, at all levels, accompanied by vital skills, such as long-term critical thinking, science mindset and resisting denial. Also, strategic communication must mobilize public awareness, shape discourse around specific issues like sea-level rise and marine biodiversity, and create the conditions for clear policy formation and immediate political will. All good communication educates, and all good education involves clear communication.
We invite abstracts on a broad range of topics that bridge any of the above issues and that show promise in progressing positively towards viable, realistic, geoethical and science-based solutions. This includes:
• Novel and traditional pedagogical approaches for educating about climate change, ocean degradation, ecocide, policy, war and other topics.
• The integration of geoethics into climate and ocean curricula.
• Strategies for fostering dialogue, developing intercultural understanding and promoting peace.
• Geoscience pedagogical and curricular innovations and traditional methods.
• Geo-communication and public engagement, such as visualising ocean data, telling compelling stories about climate impacts and using digital outreach.
• Education, communication and strategies for: policy and stakeholder-governance dialogue, the lay public, policymakers, coastal communities and industry leaders.
This session invites you to share your research, practice, experience, action and vision for how our local and global communities can build a more conscious and engaged society ready to safeguard our planet's vital resources upon which humanity depends for survival.