PANEL on Risk Assessment and Mitigation of Geotechnical Eco-Hazards
Geo-Eco-Hazards (GEHs) are ecological hazards resulting from interplay between geotechnical failures and environmental pollution. Geotechnical activity creates ecological hazards (in particular in ecologically sensitive areas, such as seas, lakes, rivers, and mountains) and, vice versa, the ecologically hazardous environment affects geotechnical risks. The panel will first be introduced to a broad range of challenging geo-eco-hazard problems in the USA, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Israel, Azerbaijan and Switzerland. This will be followed by a more detailed analysis of the geo-eco-risks associated with oil and gas pipelines and tailing dams. While solution of such complex and multifaceted problems demand a pro-active multidisciplinary approach, at the moment it seems that each field struggles on its own.
The panel will attempt to brainstorm a number of critical aspects, such as:
- Development of novel approaches to risk assessment of geo-eco-hazards;
- Development of novel mitigation and remediation techniques;
- Would it make sense to attempt a unified approach for dealing with different types of geo-eco-hazards?