What does 'ethics' mean and what is the role of ethics in your daily practices as a scientist? Where and how do ethics enter into your geoscientific research and teaching? Although ethics as a subject of study is traditionally the domain of social sciences and humanities, as scientists we are confronted with ethical questions and decisions every day. In the context of climate emergency, mass extinction and global social injustices, it is increasingly important to understand the role played by our research and the systems and structures within which our work is embedded. Ultimately, we could ask ourselves a question: does our research contribute to building a world that corresponds to our values?

This interactive workshop will ask geoscientists to delve beyond our individual research interests to consider how our work as academics intervenes in these big ethical questions. Participants will reflect on ethical questions and case studies related to geoscientific practice and be introduced to ideas and materials drawn from other disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, and political sciences.

The workshop is designed and led by an interdisciplinary team including geoscientists, social scientists and humanities scholars. Participants will be provided with materials which can be freely repurposed and reused, whether to teach aspects of (geo)scientific ethics or to inspire discussion amongst colleagues in the context of environmental and social crisis.

To facilitate discussion, we will have a maximum of 40 participants.