As societal challenges such as climate change become increasingly complex, approaches encompassing citizen science, public engagement, and community-led initiatives are recognized as essential strategies for developing sustainable solutions through inclusive participation of communities, enterprises, governments, and indigenous groups.

This special issue of Geoscience Communication showcases contributions from a dedicated session at the EGU General Assembly 2025 called Citizen Science and Co-creating with Communities, which focused on the vital role of knowledge co-creation in participatory and transdisciplinary research. The session highlighted how co-creation, co-production, and co-design serve as collaborative methods that bridge academia and society, embodying the ethos of science with society rather than science for society. Contributors to this special issue are invited from the presentations in the EGU conference session, but we also welcome new submissions in order to reflect a collective effort to promote participatory engagement and knowledge co-creation in the geosciences.

We encourage contributions of diverse case studies and methodological insights from across disciplines, illustrating levels of community involvement ranging from initial consultation to active participation in data collection and knowledge co-creation. The special issue aims to not only showcase best practices but also critically examine challenges faced in implementing participatory processes. By sharing key lessons and strategies, the issue seeks to promote wider adoption of participatory methods within mainstream scientific activities and to foster equitable collaborations that empower underrepresented communities.

Join us in shaping the future of geoscience communication and sustainability on Earth and beyond! This special issue of Geoscience Communication – Sustainable Development of Earth and Outer Space: A New Human Productivity Strategy – invites submissions from educators, researchers, and interdisciplinary teams that explore how technology applications, new media, policy frameworks, and innovative technologies can advance sustainability in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial contexts. We particularly welcome contributions addressing the following themes: sustainable space exploration, space–earth interlinkages, policy, ethical dimensions (including the impact of space debris and light pollution on astronomy), technological innovations, new media's role, higher education's influence, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. We seek submissions investigating how satellite technologies can be integrated into space missions to examine and alleviate climate change and how these missions can influence international sustainability goals. Submissions address the broader environmental impacts of space missions, including carbon dioxide emissions, the release of particles (water, greenhouse gases, etc.) into the upper atmosphere, and the general ecological footprint of space exploration. We encourage submissions highlighting the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing space exploration's environmental and climatic impacts and developing sustainable practices that benefit both Earth and outer space. We encourage original research, conceptual papers, case studies, and practice-oriented articles. Submissions will showcase how geoscience can catalyse collaboration across fields – preparing students and the public to become future leaders in sustainable resource management and space exploration.

This special issue (SI) aims to enhance our understanding of the complex, cascading interactions between natural hazards, health systems, disease outbreaks, and societal health. By compiling a high-quality collection of papers, we seek to

1. provide an overview of the state of the art for multi-hazards and health research;
2. showcase new research on the health impacts of disasters, particularly when they coincide with disease outbreaks;
3. advance modelling and measurement capabilities for multi-hazard scenarios involving public health emergencies;
4. identify synergies and trade-offs in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and adaptation strategies.

Natural hazard emergencies are fundamentally a complex interaction of natural, anthropogenic, and biological processes. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the operational challenges of responding to events like the 2020 Zagreb earthquake amidst lockdowns and travel restrictions. Similarly, devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022 led to outbreaks of cholera and diarrhoea. These events demonstrate that a limited understanding of the cascading effects of combined disasters and diseases creates major operational, ethical, and decision-making challenges for disaster management, humanitarian, and development organizations. However, until relatively recently, there has been little engagement between the multi-hazard and health research communities to understand how these processes interact and feed off each other.

International frameworks, such as the United Nation's Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports (Assessment Report 6 cycle), recognize the need to move beyond single-hazard thinking and address the complexities of multiple and systemic risks. The scientific community has been called upon to improve our understanding of these spatiotemporal complexities. The pre-print paper, titled Invited perspective: Redefining Disaster Risk: The Convergence of Natural Hazards and Health Crises by Sairam and De Ruiter in NHESS, for example, explores the interconnections between natural hazards, health, and society, highlighting the need for a more integrated approach.

While separate communities have advanced research on multi-hazard and systemic risks, there is a clear need to bring together a dedicated body of work on the unique intersection of disasters, diseases, health, and health systems. This SI provides that opportunity, fostering cross-disciplinary learning and identifying new research avenues. The urgency of this topic is underscored by the compounding effects of climate change on health systems and health outcomes, as well as the spatial and temporal variability of exposures and vulnerabilities to these complex hazards. This SI is part of the RiskKAN (https://www.risk-kan.org/) working group on the same topic.

This special issue (SI) aims to enhance our understanding of the complex, cascading interactions between natural hazards, health systems, disease outbreaks, and societal health. By compiling a high-quality collection of papers, we seek to

1. provide an overview of the state of the art for multi-hazards and health research;
2. showcase new research on the health impacts of disasters, particularly when they coincide with disease outbreaks;
3. advance modelling and measurement capabilities for multi-hazard scenarios involving public health emergencies;
4. identify synergies and trade-offs in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and adaptation strategies.

Natural hazard emergencies are fundamentally a complex interaction of natural, anthropogenic, and biological processes. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the operational challenges of responding to events like the 2020 Zagreb earthquake amidst lockdowns and travel restrictions. Similarly, devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022 led to outbreaks of cholera and diarrhoea. These events demonstrate that a limited understanding of the cascading effects of combined disasters and diseases creates major operational, ethical, and decision-making challenges for disaster management, humanitarian, and development organizations. However, until relatively recently, there has been little engagement between the multi-hazard and health research communities to understand how these processes interact and feed off each other.

International frameworks, such as the United Nation's Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports (Assessment Report 6 cycle), recognize the need to move beyond single-hazard thinking and address the complexities of multiple and systemic risks. The scientific community has been called upon to improve our understanding of these spatiotemporal complexities. The pre-print paper, titled Invited perspective: Redefining Disaster Risk: The Convergence of Natural Hazards and Health Crises by Sairam and De Ruiter in NHESS, for example, explores the interconnections between natural hazards, health, and society, highlighting the need for a more integrated approach.

While separate communities have advanced research on multi-hazard and systemic risks, there is a clear need to bring together a dedicated body of work on the unique intersection of disasters, diseases, health, and health systems. This SI provides that opportunity, fostering cross-disciplinary learning and identifying new research avenues. The urgency of this topic is underscored by the compounding effects of climate change on health systems and health outcomes, as well as the spatial and temporal variability of exposures and vulnerabilities to these complex hazards. This SI is part of the RiskKAN (https://www.risk-kan.org/) working group on the same topic.

As societal challenges such as climate change become increasingly complex, approaches encompassing citizen science, public engagement, and community-led initiatives are recognized as essential strategies for developing sustainable solutions through inclusive participation of communities, enterprises, governments, and indigenous groups.

This special issue of Geoscience Communication showcases contributions from a dedicated session at the EGU General Assembly 2025 called Citizen Science and Co-creating with Communities, which focused on the vital role of knowledge co-creation in participatory and transdisciplinary research. The session highlighted how co-creation, co-production, and co-design serve as collaborative methods that bridge academia and society, embodying the ethos of science with society rather than science for society. Contributors to this special issue are invited from the presentations in the EGU conference session, but we also welcome new submissions in order to reflect a collective effort to promote participatory engagement and knowledge co-creation in the geosciences.

We encourage contributions of diverse case studies and methodological insights from across disciplines, illustrating levels of community involvement ranging from initial consultation to active participation in data collection and knowledge co-creation. The special issue aims to not only showcase best practices but also critically examine challenges faced in implementing participatory processes. By sharing key lessons and strategies, the issue seeks to promote wider adoption of participatory methods within mainstream scientific activities and to foster equitable collaborations that empower underrepresented communities.

Join us in shaping the future of geoscience communication and sustainability on Earth and beyond! This special issue of Geoscience Communication – Sustainable Development of Earth and Outer Space: A New Human Productivity Strategy – invites submissions from educators, researchers, and interdisciplinary teams that explore how technology applications, new media, policy frameworks, and innovative technologies can advance sustainability in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial contexts. We particularly welcome contributions addressing the following themes: sustainable space exploration, space–earth interlinkages, policy, ethical dimensions (including the impact of space debris and light pollution on astronomy), technological innovations, new media's role, higher education's influence, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. We seek submissions investigating how satellite technologies can be integrated into space missions to examine and alleviate climate change and how these missions can influence international sustainability goals. Submissions address the broader environmental impacts of space missions, including carbon dioxide emissions, the release of particles (water, greenhouse gases, etc.) into the upper atmosphere, and the general ecological footprint of space exploration. We encourage submissions highlighting the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing space exploration's environmental and climatic impacts and developing sustainable practices that benefit both Earth and outer space. We encourage original research, conceptual papers, case studies, and practice-oriented articles. Submissions will showcase how geoscience can catalyse collaboration across fields – preparing students and the public to become future leaders in sustainable resource management and space exploration.