Editorial

This third issue of Volume 129 of Applied Earth Science is being published in what many people are calling unprecedented times. In the short period since the publication of issue two we have seen the continued severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with resurgent infection numbers rapidly increasing across the world, including here in the USA. Protests against inequality and racism have also erupted globally, triggered by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA, but reflecting the inequitable situation that many parts of communities across the world face every day because of their ethnic background, their gender, their religion, or other reasons. This editorial focuses on some of the diversity, equity, and inclusion issues that are present within the Geosciences; to cover them all would take an entire volume or more, but I just wanted to highlight a few salient points that are worth considering as we go forward. Some of you out there might stop reading here, saying that you have heard all of this before or similar. That is entirely up to you; however, I would simply at this stage point out that the geosciences are amongst the least diverse of the physical sciences (Dutt 2020), this lack of diversity is not changing (Bernard and Cooperdock 2018) and is almost certainly holding us back in terms of the science that we do (Hofstra et al. 2020). The fact that our science is not inclusive and is not equitable also means that we are simply not attracting a diverse range of people to our field and benefiting from the different viewpoints and experience that would result. Equally, we need to acknowledge that some of the people within our community have experienced discrimination, harassment, or abuse within the geosciences merely as a result of who they are, leading to potential geoscientists not considering the geosciences as a viable career choice or those who are within our discipline leaving entirely. This is simply not acceptable, and never has been.

I will not dwell on the statistics or experiences people have had within the Geosciences, science in general, and academia or industry; these are covered in a number of good articles (some are in the reference list and I urge you to read them). These topics are being actively discussed at a number of levels and in a number of ways; all you need to do is go onto social media and look at discussions in these areas to see the wide range of negative experiences being shared and talked about now. It is also important to remember that issues exist that may not be the focus of these discussions but still represent barriers to participation in the geosciences. One good example of this is economic inequality as not only can it prevent students pursuing a degree or a career in the geosciences, but also because it impacts certain sections of society more than others, with these sections often being the same ones that are discriminated against in other ways.

The first step in addressing the problems we face as a geoscience community is to acknowledge and embrace the fact that these problems exist. These problems are seldom obvious especially from (for example my own) white, male viewpoints. One example of this is fieldwork, something that many of us consider an intrinsic (and attractive) part of geoscience. However, fieldwork is also a barrier for many members of our community for a number of reasons that we may not consider (e.g. Giles et al. 2020). These barriers may be physical, for example for people with disabilities, and how we can make field experiences more accessible and equitable from this viewpoint is an ongoing discussion (e.g. Gilley et al. 2015). However, a multitude of other barriers may also prevent or discourage people from participating in fieldwork. These range from financial, where students cannot afford field gear, cannot afford travel, or cannot afford the time off work, to religious, where students may require prayer breaks or may need to fast during certain times, potentially affecting their ability to do physical fieldwork. Students may find themselves alienated from other students and fieldwork leaders because of their ethnic background or gender (e.g. Pickrell 2020). The things that many of us may take for granted, such as sharing communal facilities or having alcohol after a day in the field, may also discourage others. Students may also feel unsafe in the field for a variety of reasons that need to be considered. These may range from overseas travel to countries that have laws that actively discriminate against people of different genders or sexual orientations to fear of sexual harassment or assault, which is more common in the field than many of us may realise (e.g. Clancy et al. 2014). All of this makes what some of us consider to be a highlight of our science into at best a challenge, and at worst a significant negative in the eyes of many in our community. Equally importantly, inclusive fieldwork has been demonstrated to develop a community feeling within participants while also being academically rigorous, something that can only be beneficial for our science (e.g. Gilley et al. 2015).

These negative experiences are not just limited to fieldwork but also occur at conferences and in other everyday situations at work or at university. They actively drive people away from the science they enjoy and in a lot of cases love. This failure to retain people who are discriminated against because of their ethnicity, their gender, or the fact they have a disability is a significant problem within our science. People look at professors within universities as role models but if these role models are predominantly white and male, then who do students who are not white and male have to look up to? We end up in a vicious circle that does not increase the diversity of our science (as documented by Bernard and Cooperdock 2018).

So, how do we resolve these issues? There is no silver bullet here and I am not going to pretend I know the answer. However, the first step is to try and identify the issues that your community faces, be it in your university, your department, your mine site, your office, or wherever. Start conversations and discussions, and work out what problems people face. This does not mean making the people of colour or the LGBTQ+ people or the disabled people in your workplace do all the (often unacknowledged) work. Equally, it does not mean harassing people with questions that they may not wish to answer. Other actions to take include encouraging people within your workplace (you included!) to take bystander or intervention training to help prevent incidents. Learning is also crucial in this effort and to understand the issues that members of our community face. Learn by reading; the reference list below is short but is a start. Learn by looking at what people are sharing on social media. And learn by seeing how others have started to address these issues; one example of this is at Oxford University in the UK (Fernando and Antell 2020), where an ad hoc committee in the Department of Earth Sciences released a report highlighting where changes or improvements could be made to improve racial equality, diversity, and inclusion within the department. It is alsoimportant to hold people accountable at all levels by for examplewatching how universities,departments, and other workplaces in industry and academia react (or do not) when presented with issues and recommendations relating to equity, diversity and inclusion. And keep these issues in your mind; the news cycle means that subjects like the Black Lives Matter marches and protests fade from view, but the issues that caused these marches and protests do not.

I am not going to pretend that this editorial covers all of the issues the geoscience community (and beyond) faces, and I am sure I have missed some aspects out that others would choose to highlight. However, I would encourage anyone who thinks certain issues should be highlighted to email me below and bring them to my attention or to contact me via social media. This sort of conversation is certainly needed if we are to make the geoscience we all love more diverse, equitable, and inclusive for all. Informing ourselves about the challenges our diverse community faces can only be beneficial for all of us within the geosciences.

Keep safe and healthy, look after yourselves, be kind, and see you in issue four.