The European Geosciences Union continued to go from strength to strength in 2024, with over 5000 scientific articles submitted to our 19 public peer-reviewed and open access journals, and a record breaking 20,931 people discovering new exciting science from the 18,895 presentations in the Earth, planetary and space sciences delivered during EGU24, both onsite in Vienna and online around the world! These things were only possible because of the creativity, dedication and enthusiasm of the over 11,976 volunteers who donated their time last year, to whom EGU wants to say a resounding ‘Thank you’!

EGU’s volunteers are active in many areas of the Union, from the 7410 people who generously participate in our open access publications process, either as editors, reviewers or moderators of EGU’s preprint repository EGUsphere.

Many of you will have interactions with one of the 3735 volunteers who help organise the annual General Assembly, either as conveners or co-conveners of sessions, as members of the Programme Groups who co-ordinate the scientific content of the meeting, or in a range of other roles.

Apart from this, our volunteers choose the focus and direction of the Union, often as one of the 320 people who work tirelessly with one or more of our ten Committees and Working Groups overseeing everything from the Union’s efforts to improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, our Finance and Executive strategies, to the Education and Outreach support we provide to science communicators and teachers.

Underpinning all the work that we do at EGU is a strong commitment to supporting both fundamental and applied geoscience research, that addresses key societal and environmental challenges. This commitment is structured by the activities of our 22 scientific Divisions, formed of 511 volunteers at every career stage, from the Early Career Representatives to the Division Presidents and members of Council.

EGU’s President Peter van der Beek shared his thanks on behalf of the Union, “Although not always an easy one, 2024 was an outstandingly successful year for EGU; with the largest General Assembly ever, a vibrant and growing publications portfolio, and so many other landmark achievements. I am particularly proud of the new APC scheme for EGU journals, with its generous waivers for authors from lower-income countries, as well as of the new EDI Participation Support scheme for the General Assembly. None of this, or the countless events and activities run by the Early Career Scientists, EDI, Education, Outreach, Topical Events or Science for Policy Committees and working groups, would have been possible without the ebullient efforts of you, the volunteers. I am very much looking forward to working with all of you on all the new and exciting things planned for 2025, and I am confidently hoping for a very successful, productive and harmonious year for EGU! Thank you!”

Thank you so much to all the volunteers from 2024!

The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is Europe’s premier geosciences union, dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences for the benefit of humanity, worldwide. It is a non-profit interdisciplinary learned association of scientists founded in 2002 with headquarters in Munich, Germany. The EGU publishes a number of diverse scientific journals that use an innovative open access format and organises topical meetings plus education and outreach activities. Its annual General Assembly is the largest and most prominent European geosciences event, attracting more than 18,000 scientists from all over the world. The meeting’s sessions cover a wide range of topics, including volcanology, planetary exploration, the Earth’s internal structure and atmosphere, climate, energy, and resources.