Skip to main content

The Concept of Responsibility

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Geoethics

Abstract

Geoethics has developed within the scientific community to investigate the meaning and value of the geosciences, analysing their rational categories, possible perspectives, uncertainties and cognitive limits, with the aim of understanding how their modes of action conform to a specific vision of reality and how this vision, in turn, can modify the interaction of human action with natural reality (Doglioni C. and Peppoloni S. (2016). Pianeta Terra: una storia non finita. Il Mulino, Bologna, p. 160, ISBN 978–8,815,263,766).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 37.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 37.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The biogeochemical cycles (of carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, sulphur, nitrogen, water) are characterised by dynamically balanced processes consisting of essentially circular pathways, through which the chemical elements essential for biological life are continuously transferred from the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere to the organisms in the ecosystems and vice versa.

  2. 2.

    ‘Biomes are complex environmental systems of wide geographical extent, consisting of a set of ecosystems, whose animal and plant communities have achieved, in a given area of the Earth's surface, a relative stability in relation to environmental conditions. Each biome is characterised primarily by the climatic conditions of the region and by particular vegetation that hosts a typical fauna (set of animal species)’ (translated in English from: https://www.sapere.it/sapere/strumenti/studiafacile/biologia/Organismi-e-ambiente/La-biosfera-e-i-biomi/I-biomi.html). See also: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/biome. Accessed 29 March 2022.

References

  • Andrews, G. C. (2014). Canadian professional engineering and geoscience practice and ethics (5th ed., p. 275). Nelson College Indigenous, ISBN 978–0176509903.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abbott, D. M. (2017). Some fundamental issues in geoethics. Annals of Geophysics, 60, Fast Track 7: Geoethics at the heart of all geoscience. doi:https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-7407

  • Bohle, M., & Di Capua, G. (2019). Setting the scene. In M. Bohle (Ed.), Exploring geoethics—Ethical implications, societal contexts, and professional obligations of the geosciences (pp. 1–24). Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12010-8_1

  • Bonneuil, C., & Fressoz, J. -B. (2013). L'Evénement Anthropocène - La Terre, l'histoire et nous (p. 320). Seuil, Paris, ISBN 978–2021135008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonney, R., Shirk, J. L., Phillips, T. B., Wiggins, A., Ballard, H. L., Miller-Rushing, A. J., & Parrish, J. K. (2014). Next steps for citizen science. Science, 343(6178), 1436–1437. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1251554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Rubeis, V., Sbarra, P., Sebaste, B., & Tosi, P. (2015). Earthquake ethics through scientific knowledge, historical memory and societal awareness: the experience of direct Internet information. In S. Peppoloni & G. Di Capua (Eds), Geoethics—The role and responsibility of geoscientists. Geological Society of London, Special Publications, 419 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP419.7

  • Doglioni, C., & Peppoloni, S. (2016). Pianeta Terra: una storia non finita (p. 160). Il Mulino, Bologna, ISBN 978–8815263766.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastin, J. (2018). Climate change and gender equality in developing states. World Development, 107, 289–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.02.021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eitzel, M. V; Cappadonna, J. L; Santos-Lang, C; Duerr, R. E; Virapongse, A; West, S. E; Kyba, C. C. M., Bowser, A., Cooper, C. B., Sforzi, A., Metcalfe, A. N., Harris, E. S., Thiel, M., Haklay, M., Ponciano, L., Roche, J., Ceccaroni, L., Shilling, F. M., Dörler, D., Heigl, F., Kiessling, T., Davis, B. Y., & Jiang, Q. (2017). Citizen science terminology matters: Exploring key terms. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 2(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, E. C., & Haff, P. K. (2009). Earth science in the anthropocene: New epoch, new paradigm, new responsibilities. EOS Transactions, 90(49), 473. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009EO490006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, E. C., & Ramankutty, N. (2008). Putting people in the map: Anthropogenic biomes of the world. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 6(8), 439–447. https://doi.org/10.1890/070062

  • Franco, V. (2015). Reponsabilità—Figure e metamorfosi di un concetto (p. XII+196). Donzelli editore, Roma, ISBN 978–8868431938.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gill, J. C., & Bullough, F. (2017). Geoscience engagement in global development frameworks. Annals of Geophysics, 60, Fast Track 7: Geoethics at the heart of all geoscience. doi:https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-7460

  • Jonas, H. (1979). Das Prinzip Verantwortung: Versuch einer Ethik für die technologische Zivilisation. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt/M. The imperative of responsibility: In search of ethics for the technological age (translation of Das Prinzip Verantwortung) trans. Hans Jonas and David Herr (1979). ISBN 0–226–40597–4 (University of Chicago Press, 1984), ISBN 0–226–40596–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jouffray, J. B., Blasiak, R., Norström, A. V., Österblom, H., & Nyström, M. (2020). The Blue Acceleration: The trajectory of human expansion into the ocean. Perspective, 2(1), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2019.12.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynas, M., Houlton, B. Z., & Perry, S. (2021). Greater than 99% consensus on human caused climate change in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Environmental Research Letters, 16. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2966

  • Mayer, T. (2015). Research integrity: The bedrock of the geosciences. In M. Wyss & S. Peppoloni (Eds.), Geoethics: Ethical challenges and case studies in earth sciences (pp. 71–81). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-799935-7.00007-1

  • Mogk, D. (2017). Geoethics and professionalism: The responsible conduct of scientists. Annals of Geophysics, 60, Fast Track 7: Geoethics at the heart of all geoscience. doi:https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-7584

  • Mogk, D., Geissman, J. W., & Bruckner, M. Z. (2017). Teaching geoethics across the geoscience curriculum. Why, when, what, how, and where? In L. C. Gundersen (Ed.), Scientific Integrity and Ethics: With Applications to the GeosciencesSpecial Publications 73, 231–265. American Geophysical Union. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119067825.ch13

  • Oreskes, N. (2014). The scientific consensus on climate change. Science, 306(5702), 1686. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1103618

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ballesteros-Cánovas, J. A., Bhusal, J., Cieslik, K., Clark, J., Dugar, S., Hannah, D. M., Stoffel, M., Dewulf, A., Dhital, M. R., Liu, W., Nayaval, J., Neupane, B., Schiller, A., Smith, P. J., & Supper, R. (2018). Citizen science for hydrological risk reduction and resilience building. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1262

  • Peppoloni, S., Bilham, N., & Di Capua, G. (2019). Contemporary geoethics within the geosciences. In M. Bohle (Ed.), Exploring geoethics—Ethical implications, societal contexts, and professional obligations of the geosciences (pp. 25–70), Palgrave Pivot. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12010-8_2

  • Peppoloni, S., Bobrowsky, P., & Di Capua, G. (2015). Geoethics: A challenge for research integrity in geosciences. In N. Steneck, M. Anderson, S. Kleinert, & T. Mayer (Eds.), Integrity in the global research Arena, World scientific (pp. 287–294). https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814632393_0035

  • Peppoloni, S., & Di Capua, G. (2015). The meaning of geoethics. In M. Wyss & S. Peppoloni (Eds.), Geoethics: Ethical challenges and case studies in earth sciences (pp. 3–14). Elsevier . https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-799935-7.00001-0

  • Peppoloni, S., & Di Capua, G. (2016). Geoethics: Ethical, social, and cultural values in geosciences research, practice, and education. In G. R. Wessel, & J. K. Greenberg (Eds.), Geoscience for the public good and global development: Toward a sustainable future. Geological Society of America, Special Paper, 520, 17–21. https://doi.org/10.1130/2016.2520(03

  • Peppoloni, S., & Di Capua, G. (2017). Geoethics: Ethical, social and cultural implications in geosciences. Annals of Geophysics, 60, Fast Track 7: Geoethics at the heart of all geoscience. https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-7473

  • Peppoloni, S., & Di Capua, G. (2018). Ethics. In P. T. Bobrowsky & B. Marker (Eds), Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology, Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_115-1

  • Peppoloni, S., & Di Capua, G. (2020). Geoethics as global ethics to face grand challenges for humanity. In G. Di Capua, P. T. Bobrowsky, S. W. Kieffer & C. Palinkas (Eds.), Geoethics: Status and Future Perspectives, Geological Society of London, Special Publications, 508, 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP508-2020-146

  • Peppoloni, S., & Di Capua, G. (2021). Geoethics to start up a pedagogical and political path towards future sustainable societies. Sustainability, 13(18), 10024. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen, A. M., Vincent, E. M., & Westerling, A. L. (2019). Discrepancy in scientific authority and media visibility of climate change scientists and contrarians. Nature Communications, 10, 3502. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09959-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pievani T. (2019). La Terra dopo di noi (p. 184). Contrasto, Roma, ISBN 978–8869657887.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riesch, H., & Potter, C. (2014). Citizen science as seen by scientists: Methodological, epistemological and ethical dimensions. Public Understanding of Science, 23(1), 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662513497324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ripple, W. J., Wolf, C., Newsome, T. M., Galetti, M., Alamgir, M., Crist, E., Mahmoud, M. I., & Laurance, W. F. (2017). World scientists’ warning to humanity: A second notice. BioScience, 67(12), 1026–1028. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ripple, W. J., Wolf, C., Newsome, T. M., Barnard, P., & Moomaw, W. R. (2020). World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency. BioScience, 70(1), 8–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz088

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ripple, W. J., Wolf, C., Newsome, T. M., Gregg, J. W., Lenton, T. M., Palomo, I., Eikelboom, J., Law, B. E., Huq, S., Duffy, P. B., & Rockström, J. (2021). World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency 2021. BioScience, 71(9), 894–898. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biab079

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, A., Chapin, F. S., Lambin, E. F., Lenton, T. M., Scheffer, M., Folke, C., Schellnhuber, H. J., Nykvist, B., de Wit, C. A., Hughes, T., van der Leeuw, S., Rodhe, H., Sörlin, S., Snyder, P. K., Costanza, R., Svedin, U., Falkenmark, M., Karlberg, L., Corell, R. W., Fabry, V. J., Hansen, J., Walker, B., Liverman, D., Richardson, R., Crutzen, P., & Foley, J. A. (2009). A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, 461(7263), 472–475. https://doi.org/10.1038/461472a

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., Cornellingo, S. E., Bennettreinette, Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., Biggs, R., Carpenter, S. R., de Vries, W., de Wit, C. A., Folke, C., Gerten, D., Heinke, J., Mace, G. M.,Persson, L. M., Ramanathan, V., Reyers, B., & Sörlin, S. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223), 1259855–1259855. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, I. S., Ickert, J., & Lacassin, R. (2017). Communication seismic risk: The geoethical challenges of a people-centred, participatory approach. Annals of Geophysics, 60, Fast Track 7: Geoethics at the heart of all geoscience. https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-7593

  • Vayena, E., & Tasioulas, J. (2015). “We the Scientists”: A human right to citizen science. Philosophy & Technology, 28(3), 479–485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-015-0204-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Silvia Peppoloni or Giuseppe Di Capua .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Peppoloni, S., Di Capua, G. (2022). The Concept of Responsibility. In: Geoethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98044-3_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics