Introduction

In 1994, the Canadian Geoscience Council approved the formation of an expert committee whose mandate would be to review and discuss the current status and future development of the earth sciences in Canada. Canadian Geoscience Council president Dr. Glen C aldwell was asked by the Council to assemble and coordinate the committee. Additional funds were obtained from the Canadian Geological Foundation and by joining forces with the Geological Survey of Canada who were considering a similar assessment. The com mittee's studies were launched late that year under the chairmanship of Dr. Chris Barnes.

The committee’s mandate was made as flexible as possible and it was encouraged to take the broadest and most far-sighted view. I believe that the attached report speaks for itself as a visionary comment on the evolution, the challenges and the opportuniti es that lie ahead as Canada's earth scientists prepare for the next century. The Canadian geoscience community has always played a major role in influencing and implementing development and change in our discipline. I am confident that the next quarter ce ntury will see this continue, and that this report will contribute significantly to the planning, decisions and actions that will be required.

The Canadian Geoscience Council is deeply grateful for the effort and dedication of the Committee, for the support and encouragement of its sponsors particularly the Geological Survey of Canada, and for the assistance of the Geological Association of Cana da in making possible this publication in Geoscience Canada.

Hugh C. Morris (President, CGC)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATIONS

The earth sciences must be of special importance to a country that has the second largest area, the longest coastline, fronts onto three oceans with one third of its territory beneath the sea, and embraces polar to semi-arid environments. The Canadian ear th sciences have high international standing, but this is being eroded with the weakening of the Canadian economy and the failure to increase investment in research and development, in part due to the mounting debt crisis. At a time when significant chang es are occurring in the nature of the discipline, and when the contribution of the earth sciences to economic revitalization should be increasing, it is essential to restructure the discipline to make it more effective in addressing the many profound chal lenges facing Canada, now and in the future.

The earth sciences are currently in a state of radical change. The last decade has seen a paradigm shift from studying our planet as discrete components to adopting an integrated systems approach. The concept of Earth System Science has emerged as a more natural, unified way of studying the past and present processes on Earth. The dramatic rise in human population, resource consumption and environmental degradation, when coupled to socio-economic concerns and the concept of sustainable development, have r edefined the contributions of the earth sciences to society. In particular, there is a need to assess and predict the consequences of anthropogenic forcing on natural earth systems.

Both the Canadian Geoscience Council and the Geological Survey of Canada considered it timely to seek independent advice on the future challenges and trends in the geosciences in Canada, to meet the needs of changing economic and societal demands. A commi ttee was established of seven geoscientists drawn from the industrial, academic and government sectors, and with limited resources it has produced this report as requested within a three-month period. The Committee did not use questionnaires, consult all sectors, and travel from coast to coast, but rather used the wealth of recent national and international reviews and reports along with its own joint experience and wisdom.

The report, in 10 chapters considers: introductory material; present socio-economic context and projected trends; present developments and predicted trends in the earth sciences (core to atmosphere), in geoscience technology, in the resource and environme ntal industries, in education and training, in the role of government geoscience, and in international opportunities; the dynamics of these changes are also addressed. In many chapters, a number of direct or indirect recommendations are offered

More importantly, the Committee believes that the earth sciences in Canada can be significantly improved by some generic changes, involving all sectors and regions. A model is offered for advancing and coordinating the earth sciences in Canada which inclu des 10 key components. The final chapter outlines these components and condenses a single recommendation for each one. These 10 components are: development of new ideas; advocacy of Earth System Science; lifelong education and training; accelerating advan ces in science and technology; establishing priorities in research; maintaining the scientific continuum; enhancing the innovation cycle; rationalizing national and provincial mandates; promoting the public awareness of earth sciences; and radical changes in attitude, behaviour and leadership.

The consequence of implementing all ten recommendations will be to create an efficient, modern, coordinated discipline. This new fabric will require new attitudes, behaviors, and leadership. It will improve the coordination and practice of the earth scien ces and more effectively address Canadian economic and societal needs. It will further enhance Canadian international competitiveness, both industrially and scientifically. The Committee urges that all 1() recommendations be viewed as an interrelated set rather than considered individually in isolation. These recommendations follow this Executive Summary but should be read in the context of Chapter 11 which itself is derived from material considered in the first 10 chapters. By implementing the 10 recomme ndations, the future of the earth sciences in Canada can be designed rather than evolve by drifting aimlessly into an unknown future.

Several specific recommendations or suggestions are included in the text of many of the chapters. The fundamental future challenge of the earth sciences in Canada is to redesign the fabric of the discipline. A final chapter (Ch. 11) advocates a model for advancing and coordinating the earth sciences in Canada which includes 10 key components. From each component is derived a single recommendation. Implementation of the 10 recommendations would reshape the discipline to serve better Canadian science and so ciety, to aid economic recovery, and to enhance international competitiveness, both industrially and scientifically. The ten recommendations (see Ch. 11 for their context) are as follows:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Committee wishes to acknowledge:

John Gartner, Glen Caldwell and Hugh Morris as successive presidents of the Canadian Geoscience Council for providing the analysis and leadership to conceive of this study and to the CGC for partial funding.Ken Babcock, Assistant Deputy Minister, and the senior management of the Geological Survey of Canada for the courage in difficult times to seek unfettered external advice and for largely funding the study. In particular, we thank those authors who provided draft manuscripts of papers presented at sympo sia held during the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Seattle, November 1994: Geology and the Post-industrial Society (GSA), and Where Geology Matters: Past, Present, and Future (GSA), and Maintaining Compatibility Mining an d the Environment (SEG). Members of the several groups noted in the Introduction who met with the Committee and freely offered ideas and information, and to many individuals who likewise provided manuscripts, reports, and ideas to help advance the study.

Bill Collins who worked tirelessly with the Committee in researching and discussing background material, in providing invaluable editorial assistance, and spirited criticism.

Belinda Bremner who cheerfully arranged our meetings, transcribed much of the text, and facilitated the committee communications.

WHERE TO OBTAIN THIS REPORT

The full text of this Report is contained within a Special Issue of Geoscience Canada, V. 22: (Nos: 1 and 2), March/June, 1995. (100 pp.), produced by the Geological Association of Canada. Persons wishing to obtain a complete copy of this te xt should contact the:

Geological Association of Canada,
Department of Earth Sciences,
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St John's, Newfoundland A1B 3X5.
Phone: (709) 737-7660 or FAX: (709) 737-2532.

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