The single most important thing about science, that I wish to communicate to all, is the concept of four dimensional thinking - that is, the integration of time, especially geologic time, into thinking about consequences of actions. One example of the need for this kind of thinking is the current debate over whether humans cause significant climate change.

At this time in history, when humans are ascribed omnipotence over dynamic Earth systems, a healthy dose of four-dimensional thinking would immediately change the debate - from human dominance over an immense dynamic climate system, with attendant potential human solutions; to the more practical and necessary view that climate change is constant, natural and can only be slightly modified by human behaviour.

Once this latter view is accepted, then we can move on to mitigating the current effects of climate change upon people, and we can ameliorate some of the suffering that is bound to occur. This is currently impossible, owing to the anthropogenic emphasis of those who do not study change with time.

Four-dimensional thinking could have saved most of the 150,000 to 200,000 lives lost in the recent Indian Ocean tsunami. Understanding that these events will continue to occur, would have made installation of the early warning buoy system a high priority, a long time ago.

Preparedness for natural change is crucial, to alleviate human suffering. Proper understanding of time can help us to separate human effects from natural processes. Four-dimensional thinking is not an easy concept, for most people. Geologists learn to do it, and public policy decisionmakers must learn to do it also.

Lee Gerhard is coauthor of Geological Perspectives of Global Climate Change (buy this book from Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA)).