Eu opean Jou nal o Geog aphy Volume 10, Numbe 4:160-176, Decembe 2019
© Associa ion o Eu opean Geog aphe s
Eu opean Jou nal o Geog aphy - ISSN 1792-1341 © All igh s ese ed 160
EUROPE IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT: EUROGEO AND
THE ROLE OF GEOGRAPHY AND EUROPEAN
GEOGRAPHERS
Ra ael de MIGUEL GONZALEZ
Uni e si y o Za agoza & EUROGEO
[email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
EUROGEO is he Eu opean Associa ion o Geog aphe s c ea ed in 1979, so in 2019 we ha e
celeb a ed i s 40 h anni e sa y. In 2020 geog aphe s celeb a e he bicen ennial o he
ounda ion o he i s Chai o Geog aphy a he Uni e si y o Be lin. In 2021, he bicen ennial
c ea ion o he i s geog aphical socie y in Pa is, and in 2022 he cen ennial o he
es ablishmen o he In e na ional Geog aphical Union. Geog aphy is a ela i e young scien i ic
discipline. Fo a long a ime, he e has been a discussion abou i s scien i ic s a us, he di e si y
o pa adigms o na ional esea ch schools. Despi e se e al oices a guing he end o geog aphy
o bu ing he lines o he discipline, among o he easons because o he e olu ion o
geospa ial in o ma ion, his pape claims ha geog aphy is mo e impo an oday han e e and
geog aphy is ashionable. Geog aphy is essen ial o educa ion and o en i onmen , bu also
o socie y, economics and poli ics: globaliza ion, sus ainable de elopmen , clima e change and
echnology a e a he o e on o he wo ld and Eu opean challenges. So, geog aphe ’s
in e na ional con ibu ions –like EUROGEO does- a e also essen ial o ha e he be e
unde s anding o he p esen con ex and o help p oblem sol ing and decision-making.
Keywo ds: EUROGEO, geog aphy, sus ainable de elopmen , Eu ope
1. GEOGRAPHY IS MORE IMPORTANT TODAY THAN EVER
Geog aphy is usually known as a school subjec and ield in he sciences ha s udies he Ea h’s
su ace, he spaces and places whe e ela ionships be ween people and en i onmen happen.
Geog aphy explo es he in e ac ions be ween physical en i onmen and human socie ies
p oducing landscapes, dis ibu ions, impac s, and spa ial pa e ns om he local and egional o
he na ional and global scale. Geog aphy is he science o “whe e,” and guides he inqui y
p ocess o acqui e knowledge abou how and why place, space, and en i onmen ma e .
Geog aphy con ibu es o aise awa eness abou he human and cul u al di e si y on he Ea h.
Geog aphy s udies loca ions, bu also how hese de elop and change o e ime. Geog aphy is
a scien i ic discipline ha deals wi h he eaching and lea ning o he p ocesses o spa ial
o ganiza ion o human socie ies. And Geog aphy is able o ace he complexi y and di e si y
o p ocesses, sys ems, and in e connec ions be ween human and na u al en i onmen s by
de eloping analy ical hinking (da a, isualiza ion), c i ical hinking (judgmen , assessmen )
and la e al hinking (c ea i e, p oblem-sol ing).
2. GEOGRAPHY HAS BEEN ESSENTIAL IN THE PAST
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Since ea ly humans ske ched h ee-dimensional pain ings in ca es (c. 40,000 yea s BP),
p imi i e maps on mammo h usks (c.25.000 yea s BP) and s ones (c. 13,000 yea s BP) du ing
he Uppe Paleoli hic, o since Ancien Babylonia used accu a e su eying echniques and d ew
maps on clay ables, humans ha e made spa ial ep esen a ions o whe e hey li e and whe e
hey oam. F om he Babylonian Wo ld Map o he ounda ion o geog aphy by Ancien G eeks
and Romans like E a os henes, S abo, Pomponius Mela, and P olemy, spa ial knowledge
became essen ial o he deploymen o Ancien ci iliza ions h ough ade, e i o ial conques ,
and egional adminis a ion, bu also o display sel -image and sel -consciousness o poli ical
powe .
A e Spanish Ame ica’s disco e y and explo a ion by Columbus, Ponce de León, Núñez de
Balboa and o he s, and a e i s ci cumna iga ion o he Ea h by he Spanish explo e Elcano,
geog aphical knowledge became e en mo e essen ial o Eu opean coloniza ion o o he
con inen s. Bu geog aphical and e i o ial expansion was he key mo i a ion o in e na ional
con on a ions be ween Eu opean Kingdoms and Empi es (Spanish, B i ish, F ench, Ge man,
Aus ian, Russian, Du ch, Po uguese, Tu kish…) ha ha e happened almos unin e up edly
since Wa s o Religion in he imes o Cha les V, Holy Roman Empe o (King o Spain,
Ge many and I aly, A chduke o Aus ia and Lo d o he Ne he lands) un il Wo ld Wa II. Ea ly
Mode n and La e Mode n pe iods o His o y ha e been pa icula ly p isone s o geog aphy
om an Eu opean pe spec i e: om igh o conques in Ame ica, Asia o A ica (T ea y o
To desillas, Be lin Con e ence), o my iad bo de and e i o ial dispu es because language,
eligion o cul u e, o Pax Napoleonica o o Hi le ’s Lebens aum, spa ial concep ions o
Eu ope and he Wo ld ha e de e mined he cou se o Mode n His o y. And e en in
Con empo a y imes, om Cold Wa o geopoli ics in cu en days. Thus, Eu ocen ic image o
he wo ld has emained since he beginning o he i s wo ld maps in he six een h cen u y
(Me ca o , O elius) o In e na ional Me idian Con e ence (1884) and beyond.
3. GEOGRAPHY, A EUROPEAN-BORN SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE
I Ancien Geog aphy was bo n in Classical G eece, Mode n Geog aphy was de eloped i s in
Ge many whe e Alexande Humbold and Ca l Ri e we e om. Bo h a e conside ed ounde s
o Mode n Geog aphy. Humbold ’s mos known publica ion, Kosmos (1845-1862), laid he
g oundwo k o sys ema ic geog aphy. Ri e a ained he i s Chai o Geog aphy e e (1820,
Uni e si y o Be lin, jus 200 hund ed yea s ago) and his main wo k Die E dkunde (1822-1859)
ocused on he connec ions be ween phenomena in places.
The ch onology o bo h au ho s is si ua ed in he middle o he p ocesses o indus ial
e olu ion in Eu ope and o libe al poli ical e olu ions, especially ha o 1848. The
de elopmen o indus ializa ion p ocesses led o he need o sea ch o aw ma e ials and
ma ke s ou side he bo de s. Meanwhile, he con o ma ion o na ion s a es - like Ge man and
I alian uni ica ion p ocesses - mean a ein o cemen o na ional iden i y in Eu opean coun ies.
Bo h ans o ma ions - economic and poli ical -in he s uc u es o he coun ies con ibu ed o
he inc ease in i al y be ween Eu opean powe s - whose balance o powe policy esul ing
om he Cong ess o Vienna ailed wi h he libe al e olu ions o 1830 and 1848-, and o he
ans o ma ion o colonialism in o impe ialism. Fu he mo e, hese poli ical and economic
changes had a s ong social impac on he demog aphic ansi ion, on he g ow h o ci ies and
on he acquisi ion o essen ial poli ical indi idual igh s such as uni e sal educa ion in
ecogni ion o ci izenship.
This is he ime, du ing he i s hal o he 19 h cen u y, when Geog aphical Socie ies we e
c ea ed as ins i u ions o p omo e he ad ancemen o geog aphical science, bu also o suppo
he colonial explo a ion in A ica and Asia as hey had a s ong suppo om he me can ile,
diploma ic, and mili a y classes. The Socie é de Geog aphie de Pa is was ounded in 1821, so
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nex yea wo hund ed anni e sa y will be held. Subsequen ins i u ions we e c ea ed:
Geog aphical Socie y o Be lin (1828), Geog aphical Socie y o London (1830) -la e Royal
Geog aphical Socie y-, Russian Geog aphical Socie y (1845), Ame ican Geog aphical Socie y
(1851) -bu Na ional Geog aphic Socie y in 1888-, Aus ian Geog aphical Socie y (1856),
I alian Geog aphical Socie y (1867), Spanish Real Sociedad Geog á ica (1876), e c. Besides
his, by 1850 geog aphy was widely ex ended as a school subjec in p ima y and seconda y
educa ion in Ge many, Swi ze land and F ance
The esul s o F anco-P ussian Wa accele a ed he academic ins i u ionaliza ion o
geog aphy as scien i ic discipline and a school subjec . Poli ical easons –na ional iden i y
ea i ma ion- we e supplemen ed by he impe ial expansionism, by he ad ancemen o na u al
and social sciences, and in pa icula by he new legal s a us o basic educa ion –and
consequen ly o Na ional geog aphical cu iculum o schools- in he esul ing poli ical egimes
a e 1870, F ench Thi d Republic and Ge man Empi e, espec i ely. In 1870, an Ac o p o ide
o public Elemen a y Educa ion in England and Wales was se , ollowed by he c ea ion o he
Geog aphical Associa ion in 1893). In he Uni ed S a es, educa ion was compulso y in
Massachuse s a e 1852 and Dis ic o Columbia a e 1864, bu eigh een S a es be ween 1870
and 1883. As exp essed by Johns on (2018), “Geog aphy is one o he ew academic disciplines,
pa icula ly in Eu ope, o ha e been es ablished in uni e si ies as a esul o p essu e o
p oduce people who could each i in schools. As he demand o geog aphical in o ma ion
inc eased, mo e people equi ed a ounda ion o geog aphical knowledge. The e was also
g owing ecogni ion o he ole geog aphy could play in c ea ing na ional iden i ies, making
people awa e o hei pa icula si ua ions h ough con as s wi h en i onmen s and peoples
elsewhe e. Geog aphical knowledge was impo an o ci izenship, especially i i supposedly
showed he supe io i y o oneʼs own people and en i onmen ”.
Thus, a e many decades o Ri e ’s Chai in Be lin, a new Chai o Geog aphy was es o ed
a he Uni e si y o Leipzig in 1871, a ained by Osca Peschel. In F ance, Vidal de la Blache
became Chai o Geog aphy a he Uni e si y o Nancy in 1872. Fi s Chai o Geog aphy was
c ea ed a he Uni e si y o Ams e dam in 1877, and one decade la e he Uni e si y o Ox o d
c ea ed he i s B i ish Chai o Geog aphy (1887). In he Uni ed S a es, William Mo is Da is
s a ed o each geog aphy a Ha a d Uni e si y in 1876 (Mamadouh, 2005). In Spain, Amando
Melón a ained i s Chai o Geog aphy in 1921 a he Uni e si y o Valladolid.
1871 was is an impo an yea o geog aphy, oo, as Fi s In e na ional Geog aphical
Cong ess was held in An we p. Almos e e y delega e o his Con e ence came om Eu opean
coun ies, excep a small Ame ican delega ion. Subsequen mee ings we e held in Eu ope, oo:
Pa is, 1875; Venice, 1881, Pa is, 1889, Be ne, 1891, London, 1895, Be lin 1899. Fi s
Con e ence ou side Eu ope was in Washing on in 1904. Bu un il 1922 in B ussels, i wasn’
es ablished a pe manen o ganiza ion, he In e na ional Geog aphical Union (IGU). Since hen
and un il oday, Eu ope has held mos o he In e na ional Geog aphical Cong esses as only 12
ou o 34 h ha e been held in non-Eu opean coun ies. Eu opean geog aphe s ha e also been
he main schola s o he ounda ion o Geog aphy in he ea ly esea ch s ages (Li ings one,
1992; B ogia o, 2005; Cla al, 2011, Capel, 2012) like Ge mans geog aphe s F ied ich Raz el
(de e minism) o Al ed He ne , o F ench geog aphe s like Paul Vidal de la Blache ( egional
geog aphy) o Élysée Reclus, o B i ish geog aphe s like Hal o d Mackinde .
Some Ame ican geog aphe s like William Mo is Da id o la e Ca l Saue (cul u al
geog aphy) and Richa d Ha sho ne –in he second and hi d decades o 20 h cen u y- we e
some schola s who s a ed o os e a geog aphical p oduc ion supplemen a y o Eu opeans.
Ame ican geog aphical bodies we e also delayed: no only Na ional Geog aphic, bu also
Associa ion o Ame ican Geog aphe s and Na ional Council o Geog aphical Educa ion,
ounded in 1904 and 1915, espec i ely. Dissemina ion o geog aphy in uni e si ies and school
educa ion wo ldwide was possible a e 1949 and ongoing, in pa icula hanks o he e o s
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and suppo o UNESCO o geog aphical educa ion in de eloping coun ies. UNESCO belie ed
ha Geog aphy was a key school subjec o In e na ional Unde s anding (De Miguel, 2020).
4. FROM GEOGRAPHY TO NEO-GEOGRAPHY AND THE VIRTUAL SPACE
In he ollowing decades a e Wo ld Wa II, Geog aphy was also consolida ing in highe
educa ion, so mos o Uni e si ies in de eloped coun ies had a Depa men o Geog aphy,
unde g adua e and g adua e p og ams, esea ch ou comes, e c. Ne e heless, he links be ween
geog aphe s in con inen al Eu ope and he English- speaking coun ies we e weakening. I also
esul ed he loss o leade ship o Ge man and F ench geog aphe s, bu an inc easingly s onge
communi y o Anglo-Ame ican geog aphe s. Cu en ly, some s udies quo ed by Johns on and
Sidaway (2016) show ha abou 80% o pape s published in op jou nals o geog aphy a e
w i en by schola s es ablished in he Uni ed S a es, Uni ed Kingdom, Aus alia, Canada, New
Zealand, e c.
This is explained by he ac ha Anglo-Ame ican geog aphe s ook o e he new ends o
esea ch (Li ings one, 1992; Ma in, 2015; Johns on and Sidaway, 2016; Ma hewson e al.
2016.). The New Geog aphy -based on he quan i a i e e olu ion- ad oca ed o a
geog aphical science cha ac e ized by i s explana ions, spa ial laws eplicable in o he places,
gene alized s a emen s o obse ed egula i ies, cause-and-e ec ela ionships. Ku Schae e ,
om Uni e si y o Iowa, published a pape in 1953, which led he success ul pa adigm adop ed
by mos Ame ican geog aphe s because deduc i e easoning helped geog aphy become mo e
scien i ically igo ous o spa ial analysis, bu also as applied science in en i onmen al policies,
in u ban and egional planning, o in e ail o ac i i y zones loca ion. The nex gene a ion o
wo ld leading geog aphe s was Ame ican (B ian Be y, William Bunge), and apidly mo ed o
he Uni ed Kingdom (Pe e Hagge and Richa d Cho ley). This pa adigm has domina ed he
geog aphical esea ch p oduc ion wo ldwide since 1960, and e en oday has been ein o ced
by compu a ional analysis and Geog aphical In o ma ion Sys ems (GIS) based on geo-da a.
C i ical geog aphies in luenced by social sciences ha e in oduced al e na i e me hods o
quan i a i e geog aphy. They ha e also been led mos ly by Ame ican geog aphe s like Yi Fu
Tuan -Chinese, bu de eloping his ca ee in he U.S. and Canada- (humanis ic geog aphy),
Reginald Golledge (beha io al geog aphy) and Edwa d Soja (pos mode n geog aphy), o by
B i ish people like Do een Massey (cul u al geog aphy). Da id Ha ey (c i ical geog aphy),
wo ld’s mos ci ed academic geog aphe e e , is B i ish bu also has been eaching and
esea ching mos o his ca ee in Ame ican Uni e si ies.
I is ques ion less ha F ench and Ge man geog aphe s don’ ha e he same s a us han in
he ea ly imes. Only i e Eu opean geog aphe s ha e been ecognized by he wo main
geog aphical awa ds, P ix Vau in Laud and IGU Awa d: To s en Häge s and (Sweden), Paul
Cla al (F ance), Dolo es Ga cía-Ramón (Spain) in addi ion o Hagge and Ha ey. On he o he
side, geog aphy is nowadays an in e na ional discipline beyond Eu ope, No h Ame ica o
Commonweal h s a es: 113 Na ional Commi ees a e con ibu ing o he IGU, wi h a special
emphasis in La in Ame ican o Eas e n Asian coun ies.
Geog aphy is s ill a school educa ion subjec mos ly a ached o Social Sciences like His o y,
Economy, Social S udies o Ci izenship Educa ion, bu in some coun ies Geog aphy is linked
o Li e Sciences like Biology o Geology. In highe educa ion, geog aphy eache s belong o
au onomous Depa men s o Geog aphy o Colleges o Geosciences, bu hey a e mos ly ela ed
o Colleges o A s o o College o Sciences. Wide di e si y o me hods, in e disciplina y
app oaches, con on ed pa adigms and na ional and egional pa icula i ies make some imes
di icul o unde s and geog aphy as a solely ecognizable academic and scien i ic discipline.
Despi e i s iden i ica ion by UNESCO nomencla u e o ields o science and echnology (Code
54), geog aphy is s ill included in bo h ields na u al sciences and social sciences –when do no
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ea h sciences-, ei he in Uni e si y ankings (ARWU; QS; THE), ei he in Jou nal ankings
(SSCI; SCI).
Bu in 2020, geog aphy is e e ywhe e and o e e ybody, mo e han e e . This is because
o he sp ead o new geospa ial echnologies ha allow access o geog aphic in o ma ion and
geog aphic media esou ces. Technological applica ions and use ools a e eadily a ailable o
e e yone, om compu e s o able s, bu in pa icula in mobile phones. These new ools ha
o e b oad access o geo-in o ma ion sou ces ha e e olu ionized he way in which people
in e ac wi h place, space and en i onmen , abou daily ac i i ies o mo emen s and abou
ex ao dina y e en s, om local o global scales.
The wo ld o GIS (desk op o web-GIS like A cGIS Online), i ual globes (Google Ea h),
digi al map and GIS iewe s (Google Maps, Open S ee Map) and geo-in o ma ion based sma
phone apps (including social media) has d ama ically changed he way ha people in e ac
(p oduce, consume, exchange) geog aphical in o ma ion. The neologism Neogeog aphy
desc ibes he use o geog aphical in o ma ion and geo- ools o pe sonal o social ac i i ies o
by a non-expe g oup o use s. Neogeog aphy and Volun ee ed Geog aphic In o ma ion (VGI)
a he i ual space is possible as he acquisi ion and compila ion o geog aphic da a ha e
become much easie as echnology has ad anced, hus blu ing he dis inc ion be ween he non-
expe ama eu and he expe p o essional geog aphe (Goodchild, 2009). In o he wo ds, geo-
in o ma ion is essen ial o ou con empo a y pe sonal, social o p o essional li e.
5. GLOBALIZATION AND GEOGRAPHY
The mos e iden phenomenon ha has cha ac e ized he e olu ion o con empo a y ci iliza ion
has been he inc easing in e connec ion among he di e en a eas o he wo ld. Whe he as a
consequence o he echnological e olu ion o he p ocesses o in e na ionaliza ion and
opening up o na ional economies o consump ion habi s in u ban socie ies, whe he as a
consequence o he new in e na ional poli ical o de , i is indispu able ha hese i s wo
decades o he wen y i s cen u y a e expe iencing changes as e han e e be o e. The wo ld
in gene al, and indi idual coun ies in pa icula , a e expe iencing social, economic, and
en i onmen al challenges wi h many di ec and indi ec e ec s on socie ies. Mo e han a hi d
o he popula ion ac oss he wo ld li es in po e y, in need o basic essen ials such as ood,
sani a ion, shel e , and educa ion. En i onmen al deg ada ion may al eady ha e exceeded he
h eshold beyond which Ea h will lose i s abili y o sus ain i s mos p ecious and aluable
esou ces o humankind. Changes in egional and global clima e pa e ns ha e al eady
impac ed many coun ies wi h se e e wea he e en s, d ough s, and loods. Social and cul u al
p oblems esul ing om globaliza ion, mass mig a ion, e ugees, inequali y in income
dis ibu ion, xenophobia, and acial, linguis ic, and eligious disc imina ion a e endange ing
peace and coexis ence in nea ly all coun ies. Poli ical and mili a y con lic s and e o is
ac i i ies ha e dis up ed he social o de in and be ween coun ies h oughou he wo ld. U ban
mig a ion and he g ow h o megaci ies a e causing se e e challenges o hei inhabi an s in
e ms o subsis ence (housing, anspo a ion, supplies).
On he o he hand, globaliza ion has had e y posi i e consequences on economical and
social de elopmen : as Gapminde ool shows, in he las 25 yea s, all he coun ies in he wo ld
ha e expe imen ed he highes a es o co ela ed g ow h in income and li e expec ancy.
Globaliza ion has c ea ed a global ma ke whe e all he exchanges, ade and anspo a ion a e
easie o people (including ou ism), goods, capi als, se ices and in o ma ion, om one place
o ano he in he wo ld. Globaliza ion has con ibu ed o exchanges o ideas and inno a ion, o
in e na ional communica ion and o sha ed p og esses in echnology and science. Globaliza ion
has also made possible o wide laye s o socie y easie access o educa ion and cul u e, o

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cheape p ices o consume s. A global unde s anding o he wo ld has also helped o inc ease
in e na ional coope a ion and o aise awa eness (global awa eness) abou human igh s,
democ acy, eedom and sus ainable de elopmen s om indi iduals, communi ies, companies,
go e nmen s and in e na ional ins i u ions o in e na ional o ums.
Whiche e a e he e ec s o globaliza ion –e en he sp ead o Co id-19 global pandemic
and i s consequences on global economy-, place, space and en i onmen a e oday mo e
impo an han e e because inc easing social and economical ne wo king, and because i al
in e ac ions, in e dependences, and in e connec ions be ween coun ies, egions and u ban
egions. In his way, we need geog aphical knowledge and global unde s anding (De Miguel e
al., 2018) mo e han e e o unde s and he con empo a y wo ld –complex, unce ain and
mu able-, bu also e e yone mus achie e geog aphical skills o pe sonal and p o essional
de elopmen , and should de elop posi i e geog aphical a i udes –like espec o di e si y o
sus ainabili y- o li e in con empo a y socie ies.
6. THE CONTRIBUTION OF GEOGRAPHY
Geog aphy can con ibu e o a be e li e o indi iduals and communi ies, i no o a be e
wo ld. Geog aphy is a i al subjec in schools o achie e a meaning ul educa ion in pe sonal
and social skills. Geog aphy is a i al scien i ic knowledge o a ain a sus ainable de elopmen
o he Ea h. Geog aphical in o ma ion is i al o ou daily needs. And p o essional
geog aphe s a e i al o mos o he global challenges.
We a e li ing in he e a o he geog aphe , as sugges ed by he highly ci ed ecologis Ha old
Mooney, when he “ o mal discipline o geog aphy’s long-s anding conce n wi h he changing
spa ial o ganiza ion and ma e ial cha ac e o Ea h’s su ace and wi h he ecip ocal
ela ionship be ween humans and he en i onmen a e becoming inc easingly cen al o science
and socie y” (Na ional Resea ch Council, 2010). This quo a ion has been w i en in a epo
p epa ed by he Commi ee on S a egic Di ec ions o he Geog aphical Sciences in he Nex
Decade, and published by he Na ional Resea ch Council. This epo asks abou he mos
impo an geog aphical ques ions ha dese e scien i ic, social and poli ical a en ion o
con ibu e o unde s and and espond o a changing plane . The e a e ou s a egic di ec ions
whe e geog aphy can p o ide solu ions o a oid impac s and can acili a e unde s anding o
he global challenges: en i onmen al changes, sus ainabili y, spa ial eo ganiza ion o economy
and socie y, and echnological change. The ou s a egic di ec ions ha e been de eloped
h ough ele en ques ions, which can help us o unde s and he con ibu ion o geog aphy o
global challenges:
 How A e We Changing he Physical En i onmen o Ea h’s Su ace?
 How Can We Bes P ese e Biological Di e si y and P o ec Endange ed
Ecosys ems?
 How A e Clima e and O he En i onmen al Changes A ec ing he Vulne abili ies
o Coupled Human–En i onmen Sys ems?
 How and Whe e Will 10 Billion People Li e on Ea h?
 How Will We Sus ainably Feed E e yone in he Coming Decade and Beyond?
 How Does Whe e People Li e A ec Thei Heal h?
 How Is he Mo emen o People, Goods, and Ideas T ans o ming he Wo ld?
 How Is Economic Globaliza ion A ec ing Inequali y?
 How A e Geopoli ical Shi s In luencing Peace and S abili y?
 How Migh We Be e Obse e, Analyze, and Visualize a Changing Wo ld?
 Wha A e he Socie al Implica ions o Ci izen Mapping and Mapping Ci izens?
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F om he Eu opean pe spec i e, Geocube p ojec leaded by he Eu opean Associa ion o
Geog aphe s (EUROGEO) de ined six big issues o unde line he impo ance o geog aphy and
o deal wi h conce ns o e he way we li e and ou ela ions wi h he wo ld a ound us (Done ,
2009):
 Li ing Toge he
 Ea h om all Angles
 Sh inking Plane
 Fascina ing Ea h
 Explo ing ou Wo ld
 Use ul Geog aphies.
Each one o his comp ises six geog aphical opics, so 54 in o al. La e , EUROGEO selec ed
some o hem as pa icula ly impo an o con ibu ing o an inno a i e lea ning geog aphy in
Eu ope and o unde s anding 21s cen u y challenges (De Miguel and Done , 2014): clima e
change, global wa ming, sus ainable de elopmen , conse a ion o esou ces, landscape,
na u al haza ds and disas e s, enewable sou ces o ene gy, na ional and in e na ional
mig a ion, slums, u baniza ion, sma ci ies, human de elopmen , ood and wa e supply,
anspo a ion, popula ion p essu e, ci il igh s, e c. All hese opics a en’ s ange o anybody
as e e y human being is oo ed o places, so any impac o hem has di ec consequences on
daily li e and subsis ence. Uni ed Na ions has unde s ood he ole o geog aphy as 2030 Agenda
includes 17 Sus ainable Goals, which a e mos ly spa ial challenges in ol ing go e nmen s,
p i a e sec o and s akeholde s wo ldwide. Geog aphy can de ini ely con ibu e o peace and
p ospe i y o people and he plane , now and in o he u u e.
7. GEOGRAPHY IS AMAZING, EVEN FOR NON-GEOGRAPHERS
In ecen yea s he e has been a g owing in e es in geog aphy, inside and ou side he scien i ic
and academic communi y. A he high school le el, Ad anced Placemen in Human Geog aphy
is one o he as es g owing AP cou ses, and one o he highes en olled o all AP subjec s, in
he Uni ed S a es. In 2001, he i s yea he exam was a ailable, 3,272 s uden s comple ed he
es , bu 225,235 in 2019. Only Biology, Calculus, English language and li e a u e,
Go e nmen , Psychology and US and Wo ld His o y subjec s had mo e s uden s en olled han
Human Geog aphy. In he UK, Geog aphy is one o he inc easingly popula subjec s in
schools, wi h he public examina ions esul s showing he numbe o bo h GCSE and A-le el
en ies. In F ance, 2019 high school e o m (Baccalau ea ) has inc eased eaching ime o
geog aphy and his o y cou se, om 150 o 180 minu es pe week, as a compulso y subjec o
all s uden s.
In highe educa ion, despi e a gene al decline in he numbe o s uden s o geog aphy
p og ams in bene i o p o essional o ien ed unde g adua e p og ams like GIS, u ban planning
o en i onmen , geog aphy is s onge han e e , in pa icula in he Anglo-Ame ican (Johns on
and Sidaway, 2016) and beyond. A basic esea ch on Web o Sciences shows ha abou 2,900
scien i ic publica ions in geog aphy and ela ed sciences (en i onmen al s udies, economic
geog aphy, u ban and egional planning) we e included on his da abase. The numbe o eal
publica ions pe yea is e en bigge , as Web o Science only includes mos ci ed jou nals and
books. The las IGU Commision and Task Fo ce Repo s con i m he lou ishing and ib an
communi y o geog aphe s wo ldwide, as well as he numbe o a endan s o Con e ences o
AAG (abou 9,000) and IGU (abou 5,000). The o igin o geog aphe s in publica ions and
Con e ence pa icipa ion is e en mo e di e se in he ecen yea s, in pa icula geog aphe s
coming om Asia and La in Ame ica. So, geog aphy o geog aphies and geog aphe s is also
becoming global.
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Geog aphy has also become an essen ial opic om media, an in pa icula om digi al
edi ion o newspape s, including maps o geog aphical e e ences o explain he b eaking news
e e yday. Geog aphy by i sel is - i s ime e e - a subjec aking pa o he lis s o non- ic ion
bes -selle books, e en wi hou a el, en i onmen o poli ics. Ei he w i en by geog aphe s
ying o make geog aphy accessible and unde s andable o he gene al public (Hanson, 1997;
De Blij, 2012; Do ling and Lee; 2016; Monmonie , 2018; Mu phy, 2018) o non-geog aphe s
(Kaplan, 2013; Ma shall, 2015), geog aphy books sales show ha geog aphy is amazing o
e e yone.
8. GEOGRAPHY AND EUROPEAN CHALLENGES
How Geog aphy can con ibu e o build he Eu opean p ojec ? A o emen ioned challenges o
he global wo ld a e pa icula ly meaning ul in Eu ope, in he la ge geog aphical de ini ion: he
con inen di ided om Asia by U al Moun ains, U al Ri e , Caspian Sea, Caucasus Moun ains,
Black Sea and Tu kish S ai s, his is i y so e eign s a es. Council o Eu ope has o y-se en
s a e membe s and he Eu opean Union wen y-se en. Acco ding o he In e na ional Mone a y
Fund, he Eu opean Union was in 2019 he second e i o y in he wo ld by nominal G oss
Domes ic P oduc , a e he Uni ed S a es, bu he hi d by G oss Domes ic P oduc based on
pu chasing powe pa i y (GDP PPP), a e China and he Uni ed S a es. Fou Eu opean
coun ies a e in he op eigh : Ge many, Uni ed Kingdom, F ance and I aly. Fo une Global 500
anks h ee Eu opean companies in he op en global co po a ions wo ldwide, bu 132 in he
op 500, belonging o hose ou coun ies, bu also o Russia, Spain, Swi ze land, Ne he lands,
e c. In h ee Eu opean coun ies a e egis e ed he ai lines in he op six anking o annual
numbe o passenge s.
Despi e i is he ou h con inen in he wo ld in e ms o popula ion o Eu ope o he i h in
e ms o su ace –e en smalle han An a c ica-, Eu ope is impo an in he wo ld because o
i s economic powe . And also, because Eu ope’s poli ical, mili a y and cul u al powe . His o y
is one impo an explana ion as Eu opean coun ies ha e colonized he whole wo ld excep
s ong Empi es o a and moun ainous coun ies in Asia (Tu key, A abia, I an, A ghanis an,
China, Thailand, Japan, Ko ea, Mongolia, Nepal and Bhu an). So, Eu ope has had he bigges
cul u al in luence e e , as Eu opean laws ha e uled almos all he coun ies in he wo ld, so
in luenced he Eu opean/Wes e n way o li e ab oad he con inen . Fou Eu opean languages
(Spanish, English, Po uguese and Russian) a e among he op se en by numbe o na i e
speake s o h ee Eu opean languages a e among he op i e by numbe o o al speake s
(English, Spanish and F ench). Th ee Eu opean coun ies a e pe manen membe s o he Uni ed
Na ions Secu i y Council and 28 ou o 30 NATO membe s a e Eu opeans. O he wise,
Eu opean coun ies ha e been he mos impac ed by Co id-19 in e ms o in ec ed and dea hs,
apa om he Uni ed S a es
Acco dingly, Eu ope plays an impo an ole in he global con ex , and in pa icula he
Eu opean Union as he bigges ansna ional ins i u ion. Two o he main challenges o he
Eu opean Union o become a one and only oice in he wo ld –as hey a e he Uni ed S a es,
China o Russia- a e he poli ical cohesion among he S a e membe s and he ein o cemen o
he Eu opean ci izenship. P esiden o he Eu opean Council has decla ed ha he Union needs
o be a Con iden Global Leade as “wo ld is changing a ligh ning speed… and how we espond
o hese changes will de ine in luence Eu ope’s u u e”. Eu opean Commission has de ined six
op p io i ies, among he wo a o emen ioned -a s onge Eu ope in he wo ld and a push o
he Eu opean democ acy and ci izenship-, bu ano he ou : a Eu opean G een Deal by being
he i s clima e-neu al con inen , a economy ha wo ks o people, an ac ion o digi al age
and he p o ec ion o Eu opean way o li e. Maybe his should be upda ed wi h a se en h p io i y
conce ning he heal h, social and economic impac o Co id-19.
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Global challenges need global app oaches, so Eu opean p io i ies ace o spa ial and global
app oaches. A his poin , geog aphy can play an inc easingly impo an ole in enabling spa ial
analysis and spa ial ci izenship, empowe ing go e nmen s, companies, indi iduals and
s akeholde s o decision making abou Eu opean challenges om he local o global scale
issues. Well- ained geog aphe s o e geospa ial skills in di e se a eas such as haza d
managemen , en i onmen and sus ainabili y, local and egional de elopmen , land use
planning, cul u al he i age, e ailing, ou ism, secu i y and u ili ies. As a esul , geog aphe s a e
much sough a e in he Eu opean wo kplace. In de ail, geog aphy can con ibu e o he six
p io i ies o he Eu opean Agenda, based on EUROGEO backg ound:
- Eu opean G een Deal: clima e change and ci cula economy esea ch educa ion and
p oposal o measu es. Geog aphical ou comes (p ojec s, publica ions, mee ings and
con e ences) add ess hese issues and speci ic ini ia i es ha e engaged and ad ised
s akeholde s on, o example, he impo ance o unde s anding he Ocean and in
de eloping mode n sus ainable digi al ag icul u e.
- Economy ha wo ks o people, ela ing especially o de eloping and sha ing
inno a i e p ac ices o encou age li elong educa ion and employmen o hose mos
a isk and he de elopmen o spa ial hinking skills and he uses o geoin o ma ion.
Geog aphe s a e also specialis in local and egional de elopmen , and egional
imbalances educ ion policies.
- Eu ope i o he digi al age. Geog aphe s ha e been Eu opean leade s in he
p omo ion and implemen a ion o digi al ea h echnologies, aining di e en a ge
g oups, implemen ing cu ing-edge echnologies, de eloping in ol emen in he
Digi al Skills and Jobs ini ia i e, and dissemina ion he access and use o Cloud-
based echnologies o open da a.
- P o ec ing ou Eu opean way o li e, by p omo ing Eu opean ci izenship in
geog aphical and sus aining Eu opean alues and cul u al he i age.
- S onge Eu ope in he wo ld: EUROGEO has consul a i e a he Uni ed Na ions and
is usually he only geog aphical oice – om Eu ope ep esen ing geog aphe s all
o e he wo ld- in some bodies like UNEP, UN-Habi a , Commission on Social
De elopmen , NGO Commi ee, e c. EUROGEO has pa icipa o y s a us a he
Council o Eu ope, oo. Beside his, poli ical geog aphe s ha e con ibu ed o he
esea ch o a Eu opean agenda in geopoli ics.
- New push o Eu opean democ acy: geog aphe s ha e led he way in p omo ing
inno a i e ways o engage and empowe young people in democ a ic p ocesses
h ough geospa ial echnologies and open da a.
9. WHAT CAN EUROPEAN GEOGRAPHERS DO TO FOSTER SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT?
Geog aphy is an essen ial con ibu ion o he achie emen o Uni ed Na ions Agenda 2030 and
Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (SDG), as indica ed by se e al ecen pape s (Geo geson and
Maslin, 2018; Li e man, 2018; Nigh ingale, 2018; Sul ana, 2018; Fu, 2020). Despi e he
ans e sal app oach o SDG’s, geog aphy is he mos impo an school subjec o Educa ion
o Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (Chang, Kidman and Wi, 2020; Meadows, 2020), and in
pa icula o Eu opean educa ion (Sp enge and Nienabe , 2017; De Miguel, Kou sopoulos and
Done , 2019; De Láza o, Bo de ías and Mo ales, 2020; Je onen, 2020).
Bu we hink ha i is a he he opposi e: Sus ainable De elopmen Goals ex end a spa ial
conce n abou he main challenges acing he wo ld oday: ecological, economic, social and
poli ical. In he i s case, physical geog aphy has adi ionally been de o ed o esea ch in o
Miguel Gonzalez, R. / Eu opean Jou nal o Geog aphy 10 4 160-176 (2019)
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Uni e si y P ess.
Je onen, E. (2020). Geog aphy Educa ion P omo ing Sus ainabili y. Basel: MPDI.
Johns on, R. (2018). Geog aphy. Encyclopaedia B i annica.
h ps://www.b i annica.com/science/geog aphy
Johns on, R. and Sidaway, J. (2016). Geog aphy and Geog aphe s. Anglo-Ame ican human
geog aphy since 1945 (Se en h edi ion). London: Rou ledge.
Kaplan, D. (2013). The e enge o geog aphy. New Yo k: Random House.
Li e man, D. (2018). Geog aphic pe spec i es on de elopmen goals: Cons uc i e
engagemen s and c i ical pe spec i es on he MDGs and he SDGs, Dialogues in Human
Geog aphy, 8: 2, 168–185.
Li ings one, D. (1992). The Geog aphical T adi ion: Episodes in he his o y o a con es ed
en e p ise. Ox o d: Blackwell Publishe s.
Mamadouh, V. (2005). Geog aphy and wa , geog aphe s and peace. In: Flin , C. (ed), The
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Ma shall, T. (2015). P isone s o Geog aphy: Ten Maps Tha Explain E e y hing Abou he
Wo ld. New Yo k. London: Ellio and Thompson
Ma in, G. (2015). Ame ican Geog aphy and Geog aphe s: Towa d Geog aphical Science.
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Mu phy, A. (2018). Geog aphy. Why i ma e s. Camb idge: Poli y P ess.
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o he Geog aphical Sciences. Washing on, DC: The Na ional Academies P ess.
Nigh ingale, A. (2018). Geog aphy’s con ibu ion o he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals:
Ambi alence and pe o mance, Dialogues in Human Geog aphy, 8: 2, 196–200.
Pichon, M. Leininge -F ézal, C. and Douay, N. (2017). La p o essionnalisa ion des o ma ions
en géog aphie : spéci ici é disciplinai e?, Ca ne s de géog aphes, 10.
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assessmen o wo k o ce needs and expec a ions. The P o essional Geog aphe , 60, 356–
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Sp enge , S. and Nienabe , B. (2017). (Educa ion o ) sus ainable de elopmen in geog aphy
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