In today's changing world, we need to tap the potential of every talented mind to develop solutions for a sustainable future. The existence of under-representation of different groups (cultural, national, and gender) remains a reality and a threat to getting maximal value from research investment across STEM fields around the world, including the geosciences.

In order to tackle such a challenge, in the autumn of 2018 EGU created the Diversity and Equality Working Group, and since 2016 an Education and Outreach Session (EOS) dedicated to promoting and supporting equality in the geosciences has been organised yearly at the EGU General Assembly. The contributions received in these EOSs represent an invaluable critical mass of diversity of views and experiences related to under-represented groups (social, national, and gender) in the geosciences.

Based on this experience, this volume will collect contributions (not limited to those submitted in EGU sessions in the past) focusing on both obstacles that contribute to under-representation and best practices and innovative ideas to remove those obstacles. As a concerted action from EGU, AGU, and JpGU, contributions are solicited on

• role models to inspire and further motivate others (life experience and/or their contributions to promote equality);
• imbalanced representation, preferably supported by data, in awards, grants, high-level positions, invited talks, and papers;
• comparative studies documenting differences between disciplines and countries/regions;
• time series data documenting trends in relation to initiatives designed to increase diversity;
• perceived and real barriers to inclusion (personally, institutionally, culturally);
• recommendations for new and innovative strategies to identify and overcome barriers;
• best practices and strategies to move beyond barriers, including successful mentoring programmes, networks that work, specific funding schemes, and institutional initiatives.