Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 10 | Page 14

JADE | 14 ARTICLE #1 Title Tracking Sustainability Concepts in Geology and Earth Science Teaching and Learning, Keele University, UK Authors Steven L. Rogers, Stuart S. Egan, & Ian G. Stimpson DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.21252/ KEELE-0000028 Contact [email protected] Keywords Sustainable Development Goals; Geology; Earth Science; Sustainability Tracking. Abstract Sustainability of the planet is fundamental to our common future, and geologists and geoscientists are key stakeholders in this process. Better understanding of the Earth, its processes and utilisation of its resources, through successful science communication, is necessary for the effective creation of sustainability policy. Whilst the synergy between geoscience and sustainability is often obvious, the framing of the links is often neglected or downplayed within the UK Higher Education setting. This results in geoscientists lacking in familiarity with sustainability issues, including the ability to communicate geoscience issues to non- specialists effectively. Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the inclusion and embedding of sustainability issues within Geology and Geoscience modules (offered by the School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, Keele University, UK) is framed in an effort to consolidate and enhance our current standing on sustainability issues. Further tracking of the emphasis and positioning of sustainability issues within these modules will enable a better articulation of the importance between geology and society. Introduction Sustainability as (Kates et al., a science 2001) is essentially the study of our social and economic positions (including our ideologies, activities and practices) and their effects on our physical environment. In return, the consequences of a changing physical environment can be gauged in order to predict how our future options regarding social and economic situations may change. Sustainability concepts and the support of sustainable development as a potential solution to many global environmental issues, are associated with both international and national endorsements (e.g. the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987; the International Environmental Education Programme, 1975–1995; the Earth Summit Declaration, 1992; the United Nations Decade for Education for Sustainable Development 2005–2014 etc.). The embedding of sustainability concepts, and the analysis of sustainability practice in higher education, as well as organisations outside of a an educational setting, has been highlighted in a number of recent publications (e.g. Holmberg et al., 2008; Mata- Perelló et al., 2012 and Christie et al., 2013). Universities have mostly “signed up” to the sustainability agenda and many businesses have tangible sustainability policies in place. Within the UK, the House of Commons (2017) report on “Sustainable Development Goals in the UK” highlighted some of these efforts, including Standard Chartered partnering with Liverpool ARTICLE #1 | 15 TRACKING SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPTS IN GEOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCE TEACHING AND LEARNING, KEELE UNIVERSITY, UK Football Club to display the United Nations (UNs) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the club’s kit for a match in 2015. The report also highlighted the need to engage “university age people” with SDGs. Geological and Earth Science practice, be that research, resource exploration and extraction, ground engineering or monitoring etc., places geologists as key stakeholders to the sustainability process. Explicit examples of geological interactions with global development are highlighted by Gill (2016) and include geohazard and environmental management, energy supply, global climate change, access to clean water, agrogeology (agriculture and food security), natural resources etc. Several institutes and organisations, both government and non-government affiliated, such as the Association of Geoscientists for International Development, International Association for Promoting Geoethics, UNESCO, the American Geosciences Institute, the British Geological Survey and The Geological Society of London have all supported and encouraged the integration and importance of sustainability concepts within the geosciences. Despite the obvious links, and the work of many organisations, it has recently become apparent that Geology and Earth Science teaching in the UK Higher Education system has been reluctant to integrate sustainability into the geoscience curricula. Stewart and Gill (2017), suggest that of the top 20 Earth Science Departments (according to University Subject Tables), there is only one course that has ‘Sustainability’ in the title of a module, and just two courses that specifically refer to sustainability in their module descriptions. This was in comparison to educational practice in the USA where sustainability issues are commonly embedded in geology teaching, and scientists working on sustainability issues are housed within Earth Science departments. Emphasis is also given to the collaboration of individuals from a range of disciplines, from both the social and physical sciences (Gosselin et al., 2013). The slow integration of sustainability issues within geoscience courses has led to the call for geoscientists to introduce modules or overt sustainability material within their taught courses (Gill & Smith, 2017; Stewart & Gill, 2017). The reasoning for this stems from research which suggests that individuals are unlikely to change their opinions even when presented with scientific data that suggests contrary to a held opinion (e.g. Wachinger et al., 2013; Rapley and De Meyer, 2014). The introduction of key sustainability issues is a way of introducing geoscientists to the problems they may face, and allow them to associate themselves, and their knowledge, with individuals from other disciplines toward a greater goal. In essence, to become transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary (Blättel-Mink &