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2008: International Year of Planet Earth.
Organised by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), this event puts Earth sciences – geological, geophysical, geographical and soil sciences – centre stage. Supported by sixty national committees, this international observance has two points of focus: a scientific programme following ten multi-disciplinary subjects (ground water, natural risks, resources, megalopolises, etc.) and an awareness-raising campaign targeting the public. International Year of Planet Earth is an opportunity to ponder the future of the planet – and our own future.
Diverse, unique and in perpetual evolution, the Earth’s system is the cradle of life. Today, it is threatened by two phenomena: the rising world population – tipped to reach nine billion people by 2050 – plus climbing energy consumption and its corollary, global warming. The Earth is without a doubt one of the most complex and fascinating subjects that humankind can put under the telescope. To understand the Earth, you need the spirit of a voyager, the capacity to navigate through space and time and shift between the infinitely small to the infinitely big, from a remote past to an uncertain future. |
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The traveller, the adventurer in possession of these faculties is the geoscientist, whose mission is to comprehend the mechanisms that make the Earth tick so that humankind can learn how to respect its environment.
Earth sciences provide a way to manage our resources more effectively, optimise our use of space above and below ground, protect our environment and increase our understanding – and so combat – climate change.
“The geoscientist’s mission is to comprehend the mechanisms that make the Earth tick so that humankind can learn how to respect its environment”.
Employing geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers, Total has 2,000 or so geoscientists on its workforce. Applying Earth sciences to find and produce oil and gas and tackling the challenges the energy specialist faces every day, Total is necessarily a stakeholder in this International Year of Planet Earth.
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In addition to its daily commitment to supplying energy and supporting its sustainable use, the Group also wanted to extend its involvement through various initiatives, above all by sponsoring the Aux Sources de la Terre exhibition, which explores the Earth’s history, to be held at France’s National Natural History Museum in Paris until 30 November 2008. It is crucial that the public and decision-makers recognise that advances in the Earth sciences are vital for a sustainable world. This issue of Énergies offers readers a chance to explore the solutions that will help safeguard our future. Humankind and the Earth share the same destiny. I’m convinced this relationship is cause for hope rather than fears.
Thierry Desmarest,
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Total. |
