A geoethical approach to industrial development of georesources and groundwater use: the Indian experience

Abstract

Abstract Geoethics is a new branch of geosciences, which is located at the meeting point of geology, philosophy, sociology, economics and ecology. In the past hundred years or so, the human footprints on the natural ecosystems are constantly getting larger and more detrimental. The development of natural resources, such as minerals and water, has certainly contributed to the economic progress of many developed and low-income nations but it has also caused degradation of the ecosystem. The sustainable use of natural resources or the eco-friendly and socio-friendly use of natural resources to ensure a long-term assurance of ecosystem services is a recent thought, which is the foundation of observing geoethics. This paper takes an overview of geoethical principles and discusses their application at the field level while developing groundwater or mineral resources. Although the paper is based on the author's experience in India, the methods are equally applicable in other low-income countries faced with the problem of balancing industrial and agricultural development with environmental protection.