Theme:
2. Net Zero Archaeologies – Sustainability in the Past, Present and Future
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
Climate Change Adaptation in the Past and Solutions for the Future
Content:
Adaptation in archaeological research is considered the capacity for humans to adjust their cultural systems in response to external changes; while the ability and readiness to adapt are considered central qualities of resilience. Adaptation to climate changes has emerged in archaeological discourse, providing a balance to a former propensity for studying climate-induced social collapse. While collapse brought wholesale impacts on all aspects of life, the central narrative in the human past is an ability and willingness to adapt behaviour. Therefore, a constant in the past human-climate relationship is mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. However, resilience and capacity to adapt are highly social phenomena and dependent on a variety of qualities present in a society at risk.
Today, anthropogenic climate change is affecting societies across the world. While impacts have varying degrees of severity, it is clear that more and larger areas will be impacted by climate change and the communities in those areas will have to adapt. Fundamentally, this requires a change in human behaviour: how adaptive are humans to a changing climate and the challenges it brings? How climate conscious were past societies? How do humans instigate change and can we learn from past mitigation? This session will explore adaptation to climate change in the past and discuss the potential, viability, and challenges of translating mitigation scenarios into sustainable solutions for today’s problems.
We welcome case studies which show evidence of past cultural adaptation plus examples of how past narratives can be used in today's climate communication and action. We welcome critiques and discussions on how we identify and measure adaptation in archaeological evidence. The session particularly welcomes papers exploring the medieval and post-medieval periods.
Keywords:
climate change, adaptation, resilience, environments, sustainability, landscapes
Session associated with MERC:
yes
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Sarah Kerr (Ireland) 1
Co-organisers:
Eva Svensson (Sweden) 2
Fahri Dikkaya (Turkey) 3
Affiliations:
1. Aarhus University
2. Karlstad University, Sweden
3. TED University, Turkey
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