Time, Terrain, and Life: The Role of Geosciences Across Hazards, Climate and Energy

The geosciences were born out of deciphering ancient life forms teeming in a primordial environment, unfolding on a planet that emerged from the inception of the Solar System. They thus revolve around Nature, with all its grandeur, its seemingly slow processes interrupted by sudden effects.

Although the geosciences historically looked at the Earth’s hidden features, in the depths beneath our feet and back in ancient time, their avenues of inquiry provide unparalleled tools to probe the contemporary world, characterized by increasing risks and reduced availability in the natural distribution of resources.

Rising global population, long-term migration shifts (due to climate impacts and resource scarcity) and unpredictable events (from cyclones or earthquakes to energy crises) are placing pressure on the natural and built environment on an unprecedented scale. As in other pivotal occasions throughout human history, geosciences can and should be a true ‘game-changer’.

However, despite being instrumental to global well-being, the geosciences face a steep decline in enrollment, for reasons ranging from a presumed lack of future employment to a misrepresented association with the extractive industry. Facts, however, reveal that the geosciences have been uniquely transformative to our society, including supplying knowledge for history’s energy revolutions – past and ongoing (coal, oil, critical minerals, hydrogen, among others). Also, the geosciences assist humankind in devising strategies that not only locate resources but also optimize costs and reduce hazards. In fact, understanding the distribution of Earth resources and their optimal use is the true trademark of the geosciences. Above all, geoscientists assess, monitor, model, and forecast natural phenomena which have potentially damaging effects on human life (including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and flooding).

Therefore, not only do geosciences carry precious knowledge and a privileged perspective on nature’s riches and fragilities; they are also vital allies of contemporary societies, as humankind grapples with the climate-population-energy nexus over the 21st century. Geosciences can also bridge the intellectual gulf with sister creative and inquiry realms such as the social and economic sciences, literature, and the arts. This cross-disciplinary scientific effort is vital for inspiring human endeavours at this critical time. Climate adaptation, urban resilience and sustainable energy must all be rooted in Earth Sciences.

We encourage interested authors to submit manuscripts that explore how geosciences probe the intersections between hazards and their impacts, whether triggered/augmented by climate change or occurring concurrently with it. We especially invite studies which focus on how consequences fall within the climate-energy-health multi-dimensional crises. Papers can report case studies, share original research, best practices, or syntheses/reviews from regional to global scale. These may range from Nature-based solutions to adaptation efforts, especially in outstandingly vulnerable contexts (e.g., SIDS, highly populated floodplains).

We also welcome manuscripts that capture the complexities lurking beneath the energy transition and how geosciences contribute to devising paths both scientifically sound and societally actionable. We encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations that illuminate multi-domain thinking, problem-solving, and support for policymaking. This may include health exposure to natural and anthropogenic hazards, earth science intelligence, how these concern strategic aspects of societal well-being, and how the complexity of natural hazards calls for flexibility in human planning.

We thus primarily look forward to the submission of Original Research articles, Systematic Reviews, as well as Policy and Practice Reviews. To help the Editors ensure the appropriate thematic coverage across the Research Topic and balance among contribution types, authors interested in submitting an article are encouraged to submit an abstract by 31 October 2026.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Multi-hazards, climate change, geosphere-biosphere feedback, energy sources, critical zone, geological contribution to CCUS, geoscience intelligence, SDGs, environmental safety, geosciences and health, geo-hazards, societal shifts, energy future, Geosciences future, geoscience awareness

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.