All branches of geosciences have cultural, social and ethical implications. Geoscientists are becoming increasingly aware of their ethical responsibilities to serve society and foster public trust in geosciences. Geoethics aims to provide a common framework to responsibly manage questions such as geo-resources, geological risks, pollution, geoheritage, as well as geoscience-society-policy interaction.

Geoethics consists of research and reflection on the values which underpin appropriate behaviours and practices, wherever human activities interact with the Earth system. They identify and orient responsible behaviours and actions in the management of natural processes, redefining the human interaction with the Earth system based on a critical, scientifically grounded, and pragmatic approach. Solid scientific knowledge and a philosophical reference framework are crucial to face the current ecological crisis. The scientific perspective must be structured to help different human contexts while respecting social and cultural diversity.

Geoethics is proposed as a new reading key to rethinking the Earth as a system of complex relationships, in which the human being is an integral part of natural interactions.

It is increasingly clear that the current ecological crisis cannot be faced only from a technical point of view, but also requires a profound change in the interpretative paradigms of the world in which we live. Geoethics provides new keys to understanding reality and the role of geosciences in dealing with the complexity and uncertainty of modern societies and in changing the ways in which human beings interact with the natural environment.