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Position Statement Draft

GEOSCIENCES AND ENERGY POLICY Energy markets are global and dynamic due to emerging tech-
GSA members are invited to submit comments and suggestions nologies, different national and regional economies, the finite
regarding the following major revision to the Geosciences and Energy nature of nonrenewable resources, the geographic and geologic
position statement by 15 August. Go to www.geosociety.org/ dependencies for the location of energy resources, and supply
PositionStatements to learn more and submit comments. disruption potential due to social or political stresses. The con-
tinued responsible development of current and emerging energy
Position Summary. Development of a comprehensive energy resources will ensure national energy security and reliable sup-
policy that includes approaches for significant reduction of U.S. plies for the future. The skills of geoscientists are well-suited for
greenhouse gas emissions is essential for the future economic vital- the transition to a renewable energy economy.
ity, environmental well-being, and health and security of the citi- • Climate change—GSA’s position statement on climate change rec-
zens of the United States as well as other nations. Geoscientists ognizes that “human activities (mainly greenhouse-gas emissions)
locate, quantify, and help develop energy resources and the critical are the dominant cause of rapid warming since the middle 1900s”
mineral resources required for the transition to a low-carbon future and “addressing the challenges posed by climate change will require
and, along with professionals in other disciplines, assess and miti- a combination of adaptation to the changes that are likely to occur
gate the impact of energy-resource development, operations, and and mitigation of future impacts through global reductions of CO
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use on the environment. Accordingly, input from geoscientists must and other greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic sources.”
be an integral part of all energy policy deliberations. GSA encourages the responsible transition away from fossil fuel
This position statement provides a communications tool and sum- energy resources by supporting renewable energy and climate
marizes the importance of (1) the geosciences in developing funda- research, recognizing that a variety of energy sources will be
mental data, information, and knowledge upon which sound energy required to meet global energy demand through the transition and
policy should be based; and (2) the contributions geoscientists can that no form of energy is perfectly secure or devoid of potential
make to the framing of energy policy. Most energy sources, includ- social, environmental, health, or economic impacts.
ing fossil fuels, nuclear fuel sources, and renewables have important • Research and public investments—Research on energy sources
and distinct geologic components that should be considered when and the mineral resources required for low-carbon energy tech-
analyzing the life-cycle impacts related to exploration, siting, nologies, and the environmental, economic, health, and social
extraction, development, production, human consumption, waste impacts and benefits of their development, is vital. Continued
disposal, recycling, decommissioning, and reclamation of these public investments in geoscience-mission agencies and academic
energy sources. institutions and public-private partnerships are critical for
advancing understanding of the occurrence and formation of
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS energy resources (renewable and non-renewable), assessments
The Geological Society of America (GSA) supports the collec- of commodity quantity and quality, optimal siting of renewable
tion, use, application, and communication of scientific data, infor- energy facilities, impacts of extraction and energy use on land,
mation, and knowledge as critical to public policy and decision ground and surface water, air quality and atmosphere, and fore-
making regarding energy resources. Decisions surrounding the casts of resource availability and environmental impacts.
development and stewardship of finite energy and related mineral • Energy security—GSA supports national energy security
resources have direct bearing on the economic and environmental through environmentally, socially, and economically responsible
health of the world and its societies, with important impacts on the development of energy resources, along with improvements in
reduction of global carbon emissions to help mitigate the effects of energy efficiency and energy conservation, as the nation transi-
climate change. tions to an economy with low greenhouse-gas emissions.
• Geoscience expertise—Geoscientists are essential to discussions
about energy policy to ensure that scientific evidence is a founda- RATIONALE
tion to policy formulation and implementation. The geoscience Geoscientists who work in the petroleum, coal, uranium, mineral,
community understands Earth’s complex systems, including the and geothermal industries, engineering geologists, environmental
timeframes over which geologic processes operate, the capacity geoscientists, hydrologists, geochemists, oceanographers, meteo-
of Earth systems to generate different energy resources, and the rologists, and climatologists all play important parts in evaluating
impact of energy development and use on the environment. and implementing the development of all forms of energy. It is also
Decision makers can connect with geoscientists through organiza- the geoscience community that assesses the impact of energy devel-
tions and programs such as GSA and other geoscience societies, opment on water resources, ecosystems, air quality, and climate.
federal and state geoscience-mission agencies, geoscience depart- Geoscientists understand the dynamics of Earth’s natural processes
ments of colleges and universities, current and past American and are able to reconstruct climates from the past using atmospheric
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and CO levels, and the associated sea-level stands, ecosystem diversity
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Technology Policy Fellows, and private industry. and distribution, and sea-water composition. For those reasons,
• Adaptation—State, federal, and global energy policies must be geoscientists can assess how human activities can influence nature
developed in a way that is adaptive to circumstances and innova- and which activities are environmentally sustainable. Accordingly,
tions and continuously updated to reflect changing conditions. geoscientists have an essential role to play in energy policy.

40 GSA TODAY | July 2022