SIMP-SGI Joint Congress.

Padua, 16-18 September 2025

The world is changing and with it the challenges we face. In the last 100 years the world population has quadrupled from 2 billion to 8 billion and could grow to 11 billion by 2100. This means a greater need for water, food, energy and raw materials, but also a growing responsibility to live in harmony with our planet, for ourselves and for those who will come after us.

Climate change induced and amplified by human activities has already left an indelible mark: global warming, desertification, rising sea levels and increased frequency of extreme floods and landslides. These phenomena pose complex challenges, but at the same time they drive innovation. While we address Earth's challenges, we are also preparing to look beyond our planet. Space exploration, and initiatives for future colonization of other planets, opens new frontiers for the Geosciences which will play an essential role in understanding these environments.

Taking a Geoscientific approach to such challenges has worked in the past and is the key to making progress in the future. The Geosciences have always helped us answer the big questions (Why are there earthquakes? How do minerals form? Where do we come from?) and today they are at the center of the search for solutions to build a sustainable future. From building strategies for managing natural resources to developing technologies that make our communities more resilient, the Geosciences offer the tools and knowledge required to coexist harmoniously with the environment.

This congress aims to be a space for meeting, dialogue and discussion, to put a spotlight on the crucial role of Geosciences - Italian and international - in building our future, on Earth and beyond. Together, we can turn challenges into opportunities.