Proposal for a Geoethics Code for the Geoscientist Community of Chile

The proposal of the Geoethics Code (hereinafter “Code”) of the Geological Society of Chile arises as a strategic objective of the Geoethics Group within this institution. The Code encapsulates the principles and values that ethically guide and protect the professional decisions of geoscientists in Chile to protect society and the environment. Likewise, it establishes standards of conduct from the personal to the environmental dimension of professional and scientific practice. Consequently, the Code serves as a valuable tool to the geoscientist community in Chile, facilitating reflection and decision-making within an ethical framework.

Grounded in the principles and values defined by the Geoethics Group of the Geological Society of Chile and the Cape Town Geoethics Declaration of the International Association Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) from 2016 (Di Capua et al., 2017), the Code is built upon four titles: a) Professional and scientific work; b) Geosciences and its relationship with society; c) Geosciences and its relationship with the environment; and d) Contribution to new generations of scientists and professionals in Geosciences.

The construction strategy of the Code underscores the pivotal role of the Chilean geoscientist community. Thus, the Code proposal was enriched through consultations, including surveys, meetings, discussions, and seminars, engaging the Geoscientist Community of Chile to understand their perspectives on pertinent topics and challenges. Furthermore, consultations and reflections were conducted to validate the Code proposal before and during the XVI Chilean Geological Congress in 2023. Ultimately, the Code underwent validation with experts from the IAPG, including geoscientists representing Latin America. Consequently, the Code authentically represents the concerns and challenges of the national geoscientific community while also resonating with the international geoscientific community.

Financing

This project is sponsored by the Geological Society of Chile.

Acknowledgements

To the geoscientist community of Chile, the IAPG experts and other professionals who have participated in the process of construction and reflection on the titles of the proposed Geoethics Code.

References

Di Capua, G., Peppoloni, S., Bobrowsky, P.T., 2017. The Cape Town Statement on Geoethics. Annals of Geophysics, 60, Fast Track 7: Geoethics at the heart of all geoscience. doi: 10.4401/ag-7553.

Keywords

Geoethics Code, Principles and Values, IAPG, Geoscientist Community.