a_Ponte, bridging geosciences and society

Science is not good, not bad, or neutral. It is socially built by the subject who operates the research object based on subjectivity (individual and collective).The reduction of reality to a single narrative creates conflicts of interest and sustains games of knowledge and power, leading to a depoliticization of the scientific debate. Considering narrative dispute as being concrete and symbolic, geoscientific researchers must question themselves: our science supports which narrative? Whose interests does it serve? In the context of negationism (e.g. Flat-Earth movement), it is urgent to communicate and disseminate critical geoscientific knowledge, addressing socially relevant topics in accessible language, contributing to the public debate. On this ground, a_Ponte, an online collaborative platform, was born in 2019. With the aim of geoscientific outreach based on geoethical principles, the content produced and disseminated brings light to our role in the construction and management of the Earth System. Given this, a_Ponte exists as a means of circulating materials and ideas (as blog posts, magazines, online talks, training courses, and participation in podcasts and events) through a website (available in Portuguese, English and Spanish) and social media. The topics cover broad themes in geosciences from a decolonial perspective, drawing horizons outside the episteme of Eurocentric-colonial knowledge, questioning privileged spaces and geopolitical boundaries. After all, whoever dominates the discourse consequently possesses the world expressed and implied by it. Finally, it is expected that the actions proposed there promote a reflection on our role in building a more just, equitable and environmentally sustainable society.