Geological Society of America (GSA)
The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a prominent global professional organization established in 1888, primarily consisting of academicians, scholars, and experts in geosciences. With a mission focused on advancing the geosciences, fostering professional development, and promoting the field for the betterment of society, the GSA engages its members through annual meetings, conferences, and the publication of research. The society boasts a diverse membership of over 24,000 individuals across nearly 100 countries, supported by a professional staff based in Boulder, Colorado.
Addressing pressing issues like climate change, the GSA has adopted a position statement articulating that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are the primary drivers of global warming. This position emphasizes the critical need for informed public policy to mitigate climate impacts and calls for investment in resource efficiency, predictive environmental studies, and enhanced education on climate issues. The GSA's efforts include advocating for sustained public investment in climate research and promoting international collaboration to address the challenges posed by climate change. Through these initiatives, the GSA aims to contribute to a scientifically informed response to one of the most significant challenges facing humanity today.
Geological Society of America (GSA)
- DATE: Established 1888
Mission
The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a global professional society whose members are academicians, scholars, and experts in the geosciences. The mission of the society is to be a leader in the advancement of the geosciences, to enhance the professional growth of its members, and to promote the geosciences in the service of humankind. To implement its mission, the society holds an annual meeting, organizes numerous conferences, publishes the research of geoscientists, and fosters dialogue with the public and with decision makers on relevant geoscience issues. The society has a growing membership of more than twenty-four thousand residing in nearly one hundred different counties. It also has a professional staff at its headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, officers elected from among leading scientists, six regional sections that are spread throughout North America and also meet annually, numerous committees, seventeen special-interest divisions that meet in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Society, and seventy-eight affiliated societies with which it works in partnership.
Significance for Climate Change
At their October 2006 annual meeting in Philadelphia, members of the Geological Society of America adopted a position statement on climate change. The statement has been updated in 2010, 2013, 2015, 2020, and 2022. The GSA Position Statement on Climate Change argues human-induced increases in greenhouse gases are the main cause of global warming. A scientifically validated assessment of current and future climate impacts is necessary to create public policy that can effectively mitigate climate change. In its position statement, the GSA argues for the following conclusions and recommendations: (1) investments to improve the efficient use of Earth's resources are needed, and climate change should be considered in the context of global and national economies; (2) studies of environmental changes and predictive modeling should be used to develop strategies for local, state, national and global planning to mitigate and adapt to future climate change; (3) sustained public investment in climate-related research is integral; (4) education is needed to expand knowledge of the causes and impacts of global climate change; and (5) sustained coordination and open communication and collaboration among Earth's nations is necessary to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
The updated GSA position statement on climate change offers a rationale for their conclusions and recommendations. The rationale states that the GSA agrees with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, the National Research Council, the US Global Change Research Program, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that human activities, especially those responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, are the main cause of global warming Carbon dioxide emissions are a main driver of global warming and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher now that it has been in the last three million years. The effects of global climate change are increasingly apparent and will continue to have significant impacts on humans and other species through the end of the twenty-first century. Adaptation to and mitigation of the impacts of climate change are necessary to avoid the numerous effects of a climate catastrophe.
Bibliography
"Climate Change: GSA Position Statement." Geological Society of America, 2024, store.geosociety.org/Bookstore/gsa/positions/position10.aspx. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
Fletcher, Charles. Climate Change: What the Science Tells Us. Hoboken: Wiley, 2013. Print.
"GSA Scientific Divisions." Geological Society of America, 2024, www.geosociety.org/GSA/About/Divisions/GSA/Division/home.aspx. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
"Home." Geological Society of America, 2024, www.geosociety.org/gsa/faq/home.aspx. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
Kitchen, David. Global Climate Change: Turning Knowledge into Action. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2014. Print.
Maslin, Mark. Climate Change: A Very Short Introduction. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2014. Print.
Spellman, Frank R., and Melissa L. Stoudt. The Handbook of Geoscience. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2013. Print.