Historia Sekcji Sozologicznej Polskiego Towarzystwa Geologicznego

The article presents a brief history of the Sozological Section of the Polish Geological Society and its genesis in the context of the environmental protection movement and the idea of sustainable development, as well as political changes in Poland. The section adopted and popularized the name sozology for the emerging interdisciplinary science of rational and economical use of environmental resources, named by this creator, outstanding geologist and organizer of science, Walery Goetel. In the years 1963-1972, he chaired the pioneering Seminar on the Conservation of Nature Resources and Securing the Durability of Use of Raw Materials, which made the realities of resource and land-use management in the People's Republic of Poland aware. At the same time, he popularized good practices of resource conservation and reclamation. Goetel's initiatives preceded high-profile reports by the United Nations and the WECD: U Thant's (1969) “Problems of the Human Environment”, and Brundtland's (1987)“Our common future”. The Sozological Section of the PGS operated briefly but dynamically in the years 1992-2005. Its activity has been focused on the organization of scientific conferences, demonstration of environmental problems and practical solutions in the field and popularization. The branches of PGS in Kraków, Poznań and Kielce were most involved in the organization of the conferences, along with local leaders A. Paulo, J. Skoczylas and Z. Rubinowski. The subject of the conferences evolved towards the management of industrial degraded areas and for some time their organization benefited from the support of the mineral industries. The final part of the article presents the current state of sozology in Poland and the diagnosis of future needs.