| Proposed Position Statement | |
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Proposed Statement on
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Proposed Statement Implementation
When consistent with this position statement and implementation plan, the GSA president will write letters of support for funding of appropriate governmental agencies and programs and for appropriate educational programs. As appropriate, GSA may choose to join other scientific and professional organizations in supporting specific initiatives and programs. Members of GSA may reference this position statement and implementation plan in their individual efforts in support of wise decision making. Background Energy and mineral resources are the building blocks for the wealth of many nations, and they are essential in order for modern society to function. Access to and development of these resources influence and, in some cases, determine economic, social, cultural, environmental, diplomatic, and defense policies. Energy and mineral resources are unevenly distributed throughout the world. Some commodities are widely distributed and so common that they are developed generally close to where they are used (such as crushed stone, sand, and gravel used in the construction of highways and buildings), whereas many (such as most metals and energy resources) are geographically limited by their geological settings. In the latter case, extraordinary value (billions to hundreds of billions of dollars of gross value) may be localized within an area as small as a few square kilometers or less. As standards of living and quality of life improve, per capita consumption of energy and mineral resources generally increases, as does increased concern for safety and environmental protection. Recognition of the global impacts of burning fossil fuels and biomass has led to proposed policies seeking to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that humans put into the atmosphere. Today’s industries, constrained in some cases by governmental regulations or by concerns for the general well-being of society, have generally tried to minimize adverse environmental and social impacts from resource extraction. Considerable progress has been made in recent decades to correct problems of the past (such as acid-mine drainage). Planning for sustainable development is generally required by most large resource-development corporations and their financiers and shareholders. On a global basis, improvements are a work in progress. Unfortunately, poor safety and environmental practices continue to be used in many underdeveloped countries, particularly at small operations by poor people who subsist on resource extraction (e.g., unsafe and incomplete recovery of mercury after processing amalgam used to extract gold, a process that is no longer used by today’s major corporations). Prices for most mineral and energy commodities are currently at or near all-time highs. Exploration is brisk in most of the geologically promising areas throughout the world. Companies and governmental agencies in the United States and in much of the world are short-handed in part because cycles in the energy and mineral industries and other factors have led to shortages in qualified graduates from universities. Simultaneously, many university geoscience departments have evolved in directions other than education of professionals headed for the energy- and mineral-resource sectors. With ever-changing technology and with depletion of known resources over time, we do not know what resources will be most heavily used a century from now, but we do know that society will continue to need energy and mineral resources. Policies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions may result in substantial changes in energy mix in the future (e.g., solar or nuclear energy versus fossil fuels). However, the changes are not likely to occur rapidly, due to the realities of technology and economics, such that fossil fuels will continue to be major sources of energy for many decades. Nonetheless, overall consumption of fossil fuels can be reduced through increased use of renewable sources of energy and improvements in the efficiency of energy use. Likewise, overall consumption of mineral resources can be reduced through increased recycling of the products made from those resources and substitutions by products with lesser environmental impacts. The changing energy mix will place different demands on the use of other Earth materials (for example, higher demand for components needed in solar cells). Decisions by public officials on whether to allow development of resources can be extremely contentious. Although social, cultural, environmental, and economic reasons for or against development may seem obvious to contestants in a dispute, the wider ramifications of development for societal well-being or environmental consequences are rarely as clear as proponents assert. Resources may be in conflict with one another; for example, a sand and gravel deposit may also be a ground-water aquifer, and mineral- and energy-resource development commonly can have impacts on local ground- and surface-water resources. Scientific knowledge can inform decision makers about tradeoffs and consequences. Stewardship regarding energy and mineral resources includes use of scientific knowledge to evaluate the impacts of development of these resources on other resources (e.g., ground and surface water, biological resources and ecosystem services, cultural resources). Stewardship also includes evaluation of both economic and environmental efficiencies and benefits gained by concentrating development in limited areas, and by increased use of renewables, increasing recycling, and substitution of resources. In order to make wise decisions about stewardship, including both preservation and production, we need to understand what resources the Earth holds for possible future use, and we need to understand what impacts development of those resources may have on the environment and on local and national economies. The scientific knowledge needed for wise decisions regarding development of energy and mineral resources includes information on the global distribution of resources, understanding the geological processes that form and concentrate resources, regular assessment of undiscovered resources, and understanding the environmental effects of resource development at local, regional, and global scales. The scientific knowledge must be integrated with social, economic, and cultural concerns. There is a clear role for government to support energy- and mineral-resource research that helps the public, and there is a clear role for industry to support research that has the potential to directly benefit companies. Government’s role is largely to support research that is in the broad interest of the public and research that is too basic or fundamental to be supported by industry alone. Examples include research on:
Industry directly funds research that is closely applied to interests of specific companies, typically short-term projects or ones of a specific, problem-solving nature. Government-industry partnerships are appropriate, particularly in situations where industry provides access to land and where a new technology needs to be developed before full-scale industrial use. Private foundations also occasionally support research related to energy and mineral resources. Geoscientists contribute broadly to the scientific knowledge about and decision making regarding energy and mineral resources. They are involved in exploration, development, production, environmental protection, reclamation, post-production land-use planning, applied and fundamental research, resource assessment and analysis of future supply and demand, alternative and renewable supplies, regulatory compliance, waste disposal throughout the life cycles of energy and mineral products, and management and stewardship of public lands. Yet statistics collected by the American Geological Institute demonstrate that the number of degrees granted in the geosciences in the United States has generally decreased throughout the last decade. This trend is particularly disturbing, because it is clear that familiarity with geological processes is becoming increasingly important in many aspects of science and public policy. Much of the energy and mineral wealth throughout the world is produced from public lands, or from nationally held rights to resources. The land is managed by federal, tribal, state, and provincial governmental agencies. These agencies need qualified geoscientists to fulfill their missions as stewards of the land and its natural resources. The shortages in qualified graduates with expertise in energy and mineral resources are also acute for universities that are filling vacancies in teaching and research positions. The GSA Panel on Energy and Mineral Resources, operating under the auspices of the Geology and Public Policy Committee, requests comments and suggestions from GSA members, sections, associated and allied societies, and other interested parties, on this draft GSA Position Statement on Government’s Role in Energy and Mineral Resources. Please send your comments and suggestions to Jon Price at . Comments deadline extended to 14 December 2007 Panel Members:
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