CroninProjects.org/ ASBOG/ October2024.html

Selected GeoEthics Resources for Professional Geoscientists

Vince Cronin, International Association for Promoting Geoethics
Email: Vince_Cronin(at)CroninProjects.org
Revised September 17, 2024

ASBOG Ethics Documents

Model Law: asbog.org/documents/ModelLawWithRevisions_10-15-17.pdf
Model Rules and Regulations, to accompany The Professional Geologist Model Licensure Law: asbog.org/documents/ASBOG%20Rules-Regs%202019.pdf (see Section 16. Code of Ethics on pages 27-29)
Code of Conduct/Harassment Policy and Performance Guidelines: www.asbog.org/public/conduct_harass_performance.html

Recommended reference for engineering ethics, which has substantial overlap with geoethics

Quin Zhu, Mike W. Martin, and Roland Schinzinger, 2022, Ethics in Engineering [5th Edition]: New York, McGraw Hill, 311 p. (click for info from publisher)

This is an accessible and practical university-level textbook on professional ethics in engineering that I have used in my engineering geology courses since the 1980s. Copies of the previous edition are available as used (and some unused) books. The previous edition is...:

Mike W. Martin, and Roland Schinzinger, 2005, Ethics in Engineering [4th Edition]: New York, McGraw Hill, 339 p., ISBN 0-07-283115-4

The primary ethics textbook for Canadian engineers and geoscientists

Gordon C. Andrews, Patricia Shaw, and John McPhee, 2018, Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience — Practice and Ethics [6th Edition]: Toronto, Nelson College Indigenous, 504 p.

Ethics codes of some relevant geoscience societies & boards in the US and globally

Text highlighted in red indicates a document that has explanatory material ( e.g., text, video, learning modules, etc.) to clarify elements of the associated ethics code or principles of professional practice.

Ethics codes from (mostly) US-based groups

Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) — Member Code of Conduct in PDF form and on a web page
American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) — Code of Ethics
AIPG member David Abbott has presented a column called "Geologic Ethics and Professional Practice" in AIPG's quarterly journal The Professional Geologist that responds to problems described by AIPG members in light of the AIPG Code of Ethics. A CD is available that contains a library of these columns from 1987 to the present. This column greatly enhances the practical application of this code, and facilitates development of community understanding of applied professional geoethics. An index for this resource is available as an Excel spreadsheet at aipg.org/resource/resmgr/documents/ethics/pe-p_index.xlsx or via AIPG's website .
American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) — Code of Ethics
Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) — Code of Ethics
Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists (SIPES) — Constitution, Bylaws & Code of Ethics (see Article 12, p. 11-13)
Geological Society of America (GSA) — ethics portal
American Geophysical Union (AGU) — ethics portal
AGU-EGU — joint statement on codes of ethics
American Geosciences Institute (AGI) Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct
- 2015 version
- 1999 version

Ethics codes from US State Boards of Registration

(Under construction)

Alabama Administrative Code, Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists, Organization and Administrative Procedures. See Chapter 364-X-14 sections 01-08 for Professional Conduct (Code of Ethics)
Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists Rules from the Texas Administrative Code, Title 22, Part 39, Chapter 851, Subchapters A and C: Code of Professional Conduct

More to come...

Ethics codes from groups based outside of the US

European Federation of Geologists (EFG) — Code of Ethics
Geological Society of London (GSL) — Geological Society Code of Conduct
Geological Association of Canada (GAC) — Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for Meetings and Events .
Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of Manitoba — Code of Ethics , consisting of 5 fundamental canons and an extended list of behaviors required by each canon

Ethics codes of Canadian professional licensure boards

Geoscientists Canada — Ethical Considerations in the Professional Practice of Geoscience . This document lists 21 ethics principles that professional geoscientists should abide by in their day-to-day practice (see pp. 7-8) and follows with a brief explanation of each (pp. 8-18).

Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia — Code of Ethics, Guide to the Code of Ethics, Understanding the New Code of Ethics webinar, and Code of Ethics FAQs
NW Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists — Code of Ethics
Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta — Professional Practice Guideline - Ethical Practice
Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan — Code of Ethics and online ethics modules
Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba — Code of Ethics and Code of Ethics Interpretive Guideline and By-Law 13: Code of Ethics — Additional Information
Professional Geoscientists Ontario — Code of Ethics
Engineers and Geoscientists New Brunswick — Code of Ethics; see pages 32-40.
Geoscientists Nova Scotia — Code of Ethics
Newfoundland and Labrador — Code of Ethics
Ordre des géologues du Québec — links in French

Compilations of geoethics codes

International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) list of codes of ethics/conduct from prominent geoscience organizations worldwide, accessible via www.geoethics.org/codes

Professional Societies Mission Statements and Codes of Ethics, from Teaching GeoEthics Across the Geoscience Curriculum : Science Education Resource Center, accessible via serc.carleton.edu/geoethics/prof_soc.html

Ethics codes of relevant engineering societies in the US and globally

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) — asce-code-ethics.pdf
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) — Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) — Code of Ethics of Engineers
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) — Code of Ethics for Engineers and NSPE Ethics Reference Guide
World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) — Code of Ethics . This document includes guidelines that illustrate and clarify the four main mandates and twelve secondary mandates of the ethics code.

Also of interest: the Washington Accord

Resources posted for ASBOG meeting in April 2024: croninprojects.org/ASBOG/April2024.html

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