Our Planet, Australia's Future - A decade of transition in Geoscience - A decadal plan for Australian Geoscience 2018–27

Published by
National Committe for Earth Sciences
Australian Academy of Science
October 2018
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Preface
Geoscience is the study of Earth, its rocks, its origins and its processes—from the centre of the core to the crust upon which we live. This vital science comprehensively integrates the best and latest from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and high-performance computation. It draws on the social sciences and economics to give life to that knowledge within the human community. It offers unique and profound benefits to Australian society, adding to the prosperity and quality of our lives.

As the human population continues to grow, with ever-increasing demands for food, energy, space, and mineral resources, the pressure on our planet rises. In this situation, geoscience is the interface between humans and the planet—it provides the knowledge that allows us to make informed decisions and act responsibly while continuing to enjoy the resources, services, and wonder that our planet provides.

In future, if we are to secure Australia's energy, food, and water supplies, as well as its mineral resources, it will be essential to have better geoscience knowledge and capability. At the same time, we will need to use geoscience knowledge to mitigate the impact of geohazards resulting from the dynamic nature of our planet and our interactions with it.

To move to a low-carbon, renewable-energy future, we will need to find and extract vast amounts of critical metals such as copper and cobalt. We will need lithium, rare-earth elements, and 'new' metals for computing, communications, and military technologies. However, we have already made the easy finds, and must now learn to explore in difficult new regions where mineral resources are deeply buried or hidden.

This plan identifies the coming decade as one of transition for geoscience—one which will see genuine predictive power concerning how our planet behaves, how it responds to the actions of its inhabitants, and where to explore for critical resources. This improved predictive power is the core of the vision and mission for Australian geoscience in the coming decade.