International Working Groups - Cogeo A primary activity of the Commission is the establishment and operation of specialist International Working Groups aimed at specific issues. International Working Groups are a primary means of bringing together the necessary expertise to assist in promoting the research required for better understanding of environmental processes and for the development of new approaches and methods for solving environmental problems, and to improve communications, cooperation and the flow of information among earth scientists and other professionals.
Membership is free of charge.
In return members are asked to assist in advancing the aims and objectives of the Working Group. Interested readers should contact the representative shown under the relevent Working Group below. Only a hundred years ago, there were no cities with a population of 5 million inhabitants. In the year 2000 it is estimated that there are 60 such cities. Problems associated with urban development are being addressed by the International Working Group on Urban Geology because many of the major city problems are related to their geological and hydrological conditions and those of their surroundings, e.g. flooding, land subsidence, groundwater pollution, soil contamination, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, coastal and river erosion, landslides, sinkholes, soft and expansive soils causing foundation instability, etc.