Flinders University
College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Deep Pasts and Human Scale Research Theme
Archaeology, History, Indigenous & Heritage Responses to the IPCC 6th Assessment Report & agendas for climate research and adaptation Symposium
Tuesday 16 November 2021
Flinders University, Bedford Park and Online
9am – 4.30pm (Adelaide/ACDT)
Please register on Eventbrite
The recently released IPCC 6th Assessment Report on the physical basis of climate change has forcefully foregrounded how climate extremes and natural disasters will increasingly be part of our daily and seasonal lives. In the face of these predictions and projections, humanity must both drastically reduce carbon emissions and adapt their lives to climate extremes and environmental challenges.
As a species, we have been dealing with environmental challenges, climate extremes, and natural disasters for millennia. Whilst the severity and speed of changes now is new and pressing, archaeological and historical research can, and should, excavate examples of communities adapting to rapid change, often in a sustainable way, and offer insights for the future.
This seminar brings together archaeologists, historians and cultural heritage practitioners working on climate change and sustainability themes to respond to the recent IPCC report and to explore various ways in which communities have adapted to new, often inferior, conditions in the past.
The key focus of the seminar is on adaptation to natural disasters such as heatwaves (and associated catastrophic fires) and flooding. We ask: in light of the IPCC’s report, what new research can archaeology and history do to advance the climate agenda? How can archaeologists and historians contribute to climate challenges? Which regions and communities can benefit from historical and archaeological research as part of their climate adaptation?