Innovation and sustainability in the geosciences

Innovation and sustainability in the geosciences John Marshall, the Director at Skrinkle Reservoir Geology, examines innovation and sustainability in the field of geosciences. Sustainable development can only be achieved with the help of renewable energy and the capture or reduction of greenhouse gases. Many of the materials and opportunities needed to enable this are to be found in the rocks and fluids of the subsurface. To access these, the geosciences, classically associated with the extractive industries, are transforming. Extraction will continue: a massive increase in mining will be needed, given the need for conventional metals and rare Earth elements in the switch towards electrical energy. Extraction also provides geothermal energy, and a new fuel, hydrogen, has become an exploration target.