There have been different challenges around us everyday and climatic change is a huge crisis we face everyday. Climatic changes have become a threat to the population, flora and fauna. A major factor of climate change is human activities. If you want to change this situation and protect the planet, geology is the subject you must choose.
Here are the reasons that show geoscience can help in protecting the planet from different environmental problems.
- Realizing The Change
Geoscientists feed on changes. They keenly analyze the changes that have happened centuries ago, the climatic changes and the impacts in the past, the effect on environmental changes on fossils and rocks, etc. Geologists have the ability to dig deep into the time and find the story behind the changes. The study of the changes of the past can help us find insights to find out how the earth will be responding to the future changes.
Geologists use computer models to predict the changes in the future which will help to decrease the effect on climatic changes. They study how vulnerable our climate is in dealing with greenhouse gasses and the way it responds to different scenarios of carbon dioxide. Such an understanding can help in predicting how the planet will respond to the challenges in the future.
- Carbon Storage
The fossil fuel exploitation which was locked in the rocks once is a huge contributor to our climatic challenges. However, currently, the same techniques and skills used to exploit the underneath gas are helping to explore places that allow it to be restored.
CCS or Carbon capture and storage is a process that involves using carbon dioxide and keeping it beneath the rocks. Geologists are responsible to find out the ideal rock types for this storage to take place economically and safely. It is expected that these storing locations will keep carbon dioxide for thousands of years.
- Resources
Resources that are grown must be efficiently mined. Most of the things around us have rare elements or metals. The demand for mining is increasing like never before as more equipment and infrastructures are used today. It is also essential to find resources that would help us in defending climatic changes. There are many movements today to ensure that mining is carried out ethically and sustainability. Geologists will be helping to make this happen.
- Disaster Risk Management
Environmental hazards lead to disaster, which affects the society badly. There are huge losses of lives, livelihoods, infrastructure, and houses. The climatic changes are leading to the frequent occurrence of natural disasters like floods. When hazards are interconnected, it can increase the intensity of damage. With the increase in population and climatic changes, the occurrence of hazards will rise. The most exposed communities will suffer the most.
Geologists play a big role in disaster management. They study various hazards in the past and present to find out why and how they happen. They work alongside politicians, engineers, urban planners, and local people to make sure that the communities are all set to face these hazards efficiently.