Two Faces of Earth: Hazards and Resources
Our planet exhibits a similar dual nature. Certain natural processes are unequivocally destructive, such as earthquakes and tsunami, while others are essential for human life, like soil formation, the water cycle, and mineralization. Some processes, however, embody both aspects. Volcanic eruptions, for example, can cause widespread devastation, yet also create fertile soils that sustain dense human settlements, despite the ongoing risk.
This Union Symposium, which also serves as an introduction to the Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) workshop, will explore three key aspects of Earth’s processes—volcanism, earthquakes, and energy issues—through the perspectives of three world-renowned experts.
Giorgia Stasi, from the Geological Survey of Belgium and President of the Energy, Resources and Environment (ERE) Division of the EGU, will address the challenges surrounding humanity’s energy needs and the potential issues these may cause.
Paolo Papale, volcanologist at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV, Italy) will present the most recent developments in volcanic activity in Europe, focusing on Campi Flegrei and Mount Etna.
Jean-Philippe Avouac, California Institute of Technology (USA), will discuss the latest major earthquakes and examine whether predicting the time and location of these events is possible.
Their insights will help us better understand how scientific research and technological innovation can shed light on the planet’s complexity and guide us in coexisting with it.
The audience will include around 120 high school teachers from various countries and students from high schools in Vienna, and scientists attending the EGU General Assembly. As in a past US organized by the EC, the complete immersion of science teachers in a truly scientific environment, such as this event and the EGU General Assembly as a whole, and their direct interaction with world-leading geoscientists are expected to spark curiosity about scientific researchresearch. Teachers, in turn, will transmit this curiosity to their students, helping to foster interest in Earth Sciences.
Conversely, scientists participating in the GA will gain greater of the EGU’s educational programs, which may stimulate their interest in participating to these programs.
The oral presentations are given in a hybrid format supported by a Zoom meeting featuring on-site and virtual presentations. The button to access the Zoom meeting appears just before the time block starts.
Speakers
- Giorgia Stasi, Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium
- Paolo Papale, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Italy
- Jean-Philippe Avouac