Unconventional Approach for Prevention of Environmental and Related Social Risks: A Geoethic Mission

Abstract

Some natural events are considered catastrophic for their damaging effects on society; however, many of these effects are due more to inappropriate management of the environment rather than the event itself. In order to prevent the continuation of the occurrence of such pernicious situations, it is necessary to spread the knowledge of natural mechanisms so that the general public becomes aware of the dynamics that characterize our planet's balance. To this aim, we argue it is indispensable to find, create and test new methods of communication in order to reach a wide audience in an understandable way. We believe in science popularization as an ethic mission: the proposal is dedicated to those Outdoor Sports that take place in the landscape, considered as an ideal vector of information, as people develop curiosity and motivation to learn about natural history. Our study focuses particularly on cycling because of its popularity as well as for its close ties to the environment.

Floods, landscape modifications and population dynamics in anthropogenic coastal lowlands: The Polesine (northern Italy) case study

“…To permit this "assimilation-engagement", that may be translated an involvement in the decision-making process in the risk mitigation process, people need to receive information. According to Lugeri et al (2018), information needs to be simple and not simplistic, to permit individuals to create a geoethics 1 , of the environment they live into creating a balanced relationship with their psycho-physical development. Lugeri et al (2018) argued that "a communicative strategy that informs the public of the characteristics of a territory (understood as a natural and cultural environment) and the relative operative dynamics, just as one should understand the anatomy and physiology of one's own body, when still healthy, in order to manage and protect it in the best possible way".…”

“…According to Lugeri et al (2018), information needs to be simple and not simplistic, to permit individuals to create a geoethics 1 , of the environment they live into creating a balanced relationship with their psycho-physical development. Lugeri et al (2018) argued that "a communicative strategy that informs the public of the characteristics of a territory (understood as a natural and cultural environment) and the relative operative dynamics, just as one should understand the anatomy and physiology of one's own body, when still healthy, in order to manage and protect it in the best possible way". It seems evident the need for integrated watershed management to reduce hydraulic hazard in an efficient approach that would be equally sustainable with the environment (Dadson et al, 2017;Salazar et al, 2012;Sayers et al, 2015).…”

Fostering Geoethics in Flood Risk Reduction: Lessons Learned from the EU Project LIFE PRIMES

“…To assess the effects of the project activities related to the social values of geoethics, a faceto-face questionnaire was distributed to the population residing in the 10 studied areas, prior to (ex-ante phase) and after (ex-post phase) the project activities [31]. The results suggest a weak willingness of the respondents to rekindle their relationship with nature (e.g., sustainable landscape planning or conjectures about climate future trends and flood events), thus highlighting the need for activities able to stimulate a more intimate rethinking of human responsibility toward the Earth's ecosystem [6,11]. The collected data appear to be positively associated to the implementation of simulation (hands-on exercises), which appear to trigger a long-term environmental perspective connected to flood risks.…”

“…Geoethics can become a guiding beacon in such challenge [6][7][8][9], shaping cultural and operational changes [8] to grow personal and collective responsibility towards nature [7,[9][10][11]. Originally, the concept of geoethics was minted by Earth scientists to indicate the necessity to bring geography, ethics, moral philosophy, and justice principles [7] into the human-geosphere discourse [6,9].…”

“…Originally, the concept of geoethics was minted by Earth scientists to indicate the necessity to bring geography, ethics, moral philosophy, and justice principles [7] into the human-geosphere discourse [6,9]. However, the concept of geoethics evolved towards a new concept of global ethics [8], promoting sustainable use of natural resources, reducing disaster risks, and fostering scientific dissemination [11][12][13]. As a matter of fact, the evolving concept of geoethics encloses a joint commitment to cultural change within the scientific community, government, and population at large [14].…”