Geoscientists as Allies: Centering Justice and Equity in Earth and Space Sciences

Abstract:

Geoscience and social justice are intertwined: there is clear evidence of racial and socio-economic disparities in environmental impacts and vulnerabilities. People of color, indigenous people, and people with less resources in the US are more likely to live near environmentally degraded spaces, more vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change, and more susceptible to harm in natural hazard events.

I’d like to contribute to the panel by describing work at the intersection of justice and geoscience. This is work that centers justice and equity in the geosciences. We center justice in the geosciences when we use geoscience to combat systemic, historic and ongoing oppression. We center equity when we place geoscience alongside other ways of knowing and avoid privileging our scientific insights of priorities. We do both when we seek partners who have justice goals and offer geoscience in service of those greater goals. Although centering justice and equity in the geosciences does not prioritize diversity and inclusion, it does, in fact, contribute to a more inclusive culture and foster a more diverse geoscience community.

I’ll use stories and studies to provide examples of equity- and justice-centered work, including examples from AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange. These stories and studies will help illustrate general principles for justice and equity-centered work, including: prioritizing work with communities and people who have been historically marginalized, designing for action as well as understanding, honoring community knowledge and experience, and embracing communities right and ability to make their own decisions and set their own priorities. It requires deep listening, authentic collaboration, and a willingness to share power. It also leverages the privilege associated with science and scientific institutions while examining the source of that privilege.