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In the guest blog, geologist and librarian Thomas Hofmann looks at earth-related topics and dates based on Geodiversity Day, which will be celebrated for the first time on October 6, 2022.
Aside from days proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) or UNESCO, there are theme-specific weeks, years and decades. World Space Week is celebrated every year from October 4th to 10th. 2022 is fourfold marked with the International Year of Glass, Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, Sustainable Development of Mountain Areas and Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development. If you go into the next temporal dimension, the year 2022 will be reflected in 15 thematic decades of the UN.
Individual topics that affect planet Earth go back to the 19th century - for example as International Years - and are older than the United Nations, which was founded in 1945. The fact is that years, days and decades designated by the United Nations or UNESCO enjoy increased international recognition. This increases the chances of implementing the intended messages through targeted actions. The fact that some days are booked twice, for example June 30th is the International Day of Asteroids and Parliamentarism, is hardly a problem; the topics are usually far apart.
And again there is a new “day”, Geodiversity Day! Isn't the list of days too long anyway? The content is about a deeper understanding and comprehensive knowledge of the diversity of the geological subsurface. This is important, especially since the diversity of rocks also contains the foundations of our daily lives. Clays retain water, but are also building materials. Gravel and sand are not only building materials, but also important groundwater reservoirs. Ores, whether in carbonates or crystalline rocks, are important, as are microscopic pore voids that may contain petroleum or natural gas. Steep rock faces, slopes prone to slipping or locally changing rocks in the subsoil require expert answers when it comes to infrastructure projects. There is also the time factor; The billion-year-old history of planet Earth and life is contained in rocks.
The geodiversity of our planet also offers moments of enjoyment - if you think of viticulture. Whether loess or crystalline subsoil, the starting substrate determines the properties of the soils that are created through weathering. Winemakers respond to this geogenic situation by planting specific grape varieties. Connoisseurs appreciate the precious differences. The geodiversity of the Lower Austrian Weinviertel, where in addition to loess there are also large areas of gravel and granitic areas in the west, impressively reflects the taste nuances of the Weinviertel DAC, a Grüner Veltliner.
Ten years after the start of the legendary Austro-Hungarian North Polar Expedition (1872 to 1874) by Julius Payer and Carl Weyprecht, the latter suggested a transnational research focus on the polar regions. From the summer of 1882 to the summer of 1883, meteorological measurements and observations took place at numerous specially created research stations in the Arctic. The Austrians' station, which was generously supported by Hans Graf Wilczek, who had also financed the North Polar expedition, was located on the island of Jan Mayen. 50 years later there was the Second International Polar Year. In 1932/33 Austria was there again for Jan Mayen. The financial situation in the interwar period was less good. Since there were serious problems with the food supply, the scientists' stay almost turned into a tragedy. You can read it in the book “Fourteen Months in the Arctic: The Austrian Polar Expedition 1932/33 by Jan Mayen” (Tyrolia). The third International Polar Year took place in 1957/1958 as part of the International Geophysical Year, the fourth from 2007 to 2009.
... for the International Year of Planet Earth
The year 2008 was designated the International Year of the Planet Earth (IYPE) by the UN. UNESCO added in 2007 and 2009, making it a triennium. In addition to scientific topics, public relations was a central concern. Austria also took part with numerous PR campaigns, including an Austria-wide poster campaign under the motto “Geology is…”. The aim, similar to Geodiversity Day, was to point out the diverse importance of planet Earth for humans. In 2014, the International Year of Crystallography (IYCr) was once again a themed year with a focus on the geosphere. At that time, the Austrian mineralogist Robert Krickl created the largest crystal structure model in the world. Using 19,440 white and 19,440 red balls representing sodium and chlorine atoms, he built a three by three meter cube of a salt crystal (NaCl), which was on display in the inner courtyard of Vienna City Hall in autumn 2015. In 2016, the record was confirmed by entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
If one looks retrospectively at the themes of international years, the current energy situation shows how forward-looking the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, which was decided by the UN General Assembly on December 20, 2010 and celebrated in 2012, was. The stated goal at the time was to generate a third of the energy required from renewable energy sources over the next twenty years.
Communicate messages precisely with “Tage”.
The "years" mentioned, but also the "decades", have a scientific focus, while at the same time reaching the general public is increasingly coming to the fore. However, if sufficient human and financial resources are not available, these initiatives run the risk of only achieving their ambitious goals to a limited extent. This is different with the annually recurring “days”. Focusing on time opens up more opportunities to communicate messages in a more targeted manner.
Staying with the geosphere, April 22nd, International Mother Earth Day, shows parallels to Geodiversity Day on October 6th. But in April a call for help for the planet will be communicated ("Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action"), under the motto: Making peace with nature. The topic here is October 13th, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. The soil, at the intersection of the spheres, has its day on December 5th (World Soil Day). The mountains are the center of attention on December 11th (International Mountain Day).
From the hydrosphere...
The example of World Water Day, which has been held on March 22nd since 1993 and is well anchored in the population, shows in retrospect that different aspects of water are regularly taken up by numerous media. A search on APA-OTS results in a total of 401 hits from 1998 to 2022. At the same time, short videos (max. 60 seconds) with the hashtags #MyGroundwaterStory and #WorldWaterDay can be uploaded until November 20, 2022. The link should then be sent to mygroundwaterstory@un-igrac.org. If World Water Day is about fresh water, the oceans have their own day on June 8th. November 5th is dedicated to World Tsunami Awareness Day, which would cover the hydrosphere.
... to the atmosphere and biosphere
When it comes to the atmosphere, in addition to March 23rd, World Meteorological Day, there are also September 7th for clean air (International Day of Clean Air for blue skies) and September 16th for the ozone layer (International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer).
The cycle of days for the biosphere begins on February 2nd with the wetlands. This is followed by seagrass (March 1st), Animal Welfare Day (World Wildlife Day, March 3rd), the forest (March 21st), tuna (May 2nd), plant health (May 12th), migratory birds (May 14th), bees (May 20th), biological diversity (May 22nd), the tropics (June 29th) and finally cotton (October 7th), with the focus here being on the social aspect of working people.
The answer to the question of what such “days” bring, or whether new ones are needed, depends on what the individual countries, organizations, associations and committed private individuals do with them. In any case, the topics are not only worth being communicated to the general public in a scientifically sound but understandable way, but it is also extremely necessary. (Thomas Hofmann, October 6, 2022)