What Next? Translating AGIs 2015 Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct into Practice

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In 2015, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) published a revised version of the 1999 Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct, an aspirational document outlining ethical principles that should inform the professional behavior of all geoscientists. The revised Guidelines reflect a consensus of opinion among AGIs 51 member societies and show an evolution in thinking about geoscience ethics. The Guidelines also represent a foundational document to support the expansion of ethical guidelines by individual societies and organizations. Publishing the Guidelines was a significant milestone but aspirations need to be matched by action. We examine several developments that implement aspects of the Guidelines, including the development of a consensus statement regarding access and inclusion of individuals living with disabilities in the geosciences, a Joint AGI/Geological Society of America Societies meeting on professional conduct, geoethics training initiatives, and efforts to foster international cooperation in recognizing and implementing ethical practice in the geosciences. In addition, we examine the level of success in using these Guidelinesas philosophical cornerstones for a number of international projects, such as Resourcing Future Generations and the International Raw Materials Observatory, that bring geoscience directly into contact with large societal issues.

  • Maeve Boland*
  • Christopher Keane*
  • American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2016