Die Geowissenschaft und ihre Bedeutung für die Zukunft der Zivilisation |
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| Authors: | Prof Dr Wolf von Engelhardt |
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| Institution: | 1. Mineralogisches Institut der Universit?t, Wilhelmstra?e 56, 74 Tübingen
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| Abstract: | Geoscience forms — besides Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, and Biology — a specific domain of Science, characterized by its subjects and objects. Geoscience embraces all disciplines which are inquiring into the present configuration of the earth and its spheres, which intend to explain by natural laws the evolution of the earth and the life and which try to predict future developments. Solid bodies of the planetary system are subjects of geoscience insofar geoscientific methods can be applied. Geoscientists have profoundly contributed to the growth of the technological civilisation by discovering and exploiting sources for the supply of energy and raw materials. During the last decades the annual production of most of these materials has grown exponentially. This is shown, exemplarily, for iron, copper and mercury. Considering the exponential growth of the world population, the future life of mankind on earth is at stake because conventional resources, necessary for the maintenance of agriculture and technology, are running short and physical conditions essential for life are, because of geological reasons, finite and deteriorated by human activities. It is only by changing moral, political, economic and technical foundations of culture and civilisation that mankind can avoid extinction which was the ultimate fate of all species in the geological past. In the attempts to overcome the impending difficulties Geoscience has to play an important role of great responsibility: Only Geoscience can provide and develop by further research methods and knowledge which are necessary in order to evaluate the finite potentials available in the earth and the geological processes which both form the framework to which the future life of mankind has to be adjusted. |
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