The shift to a low/neutral carbon economy, essential to tackle climate change, is now a pressing international effort. The Earth sciences play a pivotal role in the sourcing of essential raw materials, the development of circular economies, in subsurface storage and capture solutions, and in geothermal energy production, and geoscientists are therefore uniquely placed to support policy makers, stakeholders and industry in the energy transition.
The Geological Society’s Energy Transition theme champions this goal, to help drive future research, and support communication between academia, business, government, and public communities, and aim to inspire a new generation of geoscientists.
This theme is supported by theme leader Nick Gardiner and outreach and engagement leader Lydia Rycroft.
Additional policy work is undertaken by the Decarbonisation Working Group. This group works on key issues at the interface of geoscience and public policy, developing resources and initiatives to highlight and communicate key enabling decarbonisation technologies to policymakers and the wider public.
News
Special issue of ES3: Earth Sciences and the Race to Net Zero
The Geological Society’s new Open Access journal, Earth Science, Systems and Society (ES3) will be publishing a special issue on the theme of Earth Sciences and the Race to Net Zero. Submissions are welcomed on all aspects of this topic.
Sponsorship
Promote your business to event attendees. We offer a range of sponsorship options, which are outlined in this downloadable Sponsorship Prospectus. If you are interested in supporting this event, please contact development@geolsoc.org.uk or call +44 (0) 20 7432 0960.
Event Resources
All three webinars and our first ever discussion meeting can be viewed on our dedicated YouTube playlist.
Past event activity
13 April 2021: Energy Transition Webinar: How can the geosciences contribute to the Energy Transition? (Virtual)
This first free webinar was an overview of the geoscience contribution to the energy transition. It covered science progress and achievements in critical areas, the context of geosciences with respect to society awareness, and government policy. The speaker list is available here.
07 - 08 June 2021: Energy Transition - Geosciences and the Energy Transition: Energy Transfer, Injection and Storage (Virtual)
This second event focused on reviewing the status and progress on Energy Transfer, Injection and Storage via; CCUS, geothermal/heat, hydrogen, compressed air, radioactive waste and oil/gas stewardship during the Energy Transition. The meeting format included breakout sessions for attendees to participate in critical issue discussions and with time to report back to the general meeting. View the programme and abstract booklet.
06 - 07 September 2021 Geosciences and the Energy Transition: Resources on a Finite Planet (Hybrid)
The third of our series of webinars, this event assessed and highlighted the role of Geosciences in the Energy Transition (ET). The aim was to cover science progress and achievements in critical areas, the context of geosciences in society awareness, Government policy, finance, insurance, and economics linked to the Energy Transition. This webinar focused on the resources needed for future energy systems. Contributions were requested on the challenges, future technologies and advances in responsible recovery and stewardship of key resources (including strategic minerals, hydrocarbons, water and soil health) that will all under-pin a successful energy transition. In addition, presentations focussed on investment, circular economies, public awareness and policy needs associated with the future use of earth resources. View the programme and abstract booklet.
26-27th April 2022: The first Energy Transition Discussion Meeting (Hybrid)
The meeting's topic is "What does geoscience need to do now for a sustainable transition to net zero". This 2-day conference brought together geoscientists, the energy transition communities, and policymakers, with a core aim of assessing the on-going directions and priority roles for the geosciences in the Energy Transition. The programme is available here, whilst you can also visit https://www.geolsoc-energytransition.com/ to view additional online resources.
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