Webinar: Paleoclimate insights on societal collapse

3 June 2022 17:30-19:00 CEST

How did climate influence the collapse of ancient civilizations?

Join AIMES, Earth Commission, Future Earth and the WCRP Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse Activity for the Paleo focused webinar in a series that aims to advance the knowledge about tipping elements, irreversibility, and abrupt changes in the Earth system. The event will look at paleo insights on climate change and how it has impacted societies - sometimes leading to their collapse (MIRO board).

Presentations

Explaining Collapse – Joseph Tainter (Utah State University)
How climate change impacted ancient civilizations– Ann Kinzig (Arizona State University)
Q&A/ Discussion

Moderated by Timothy Lenton (University of Exeter).

The recording of this event is provided below.

Back to series overview.

Speakers

Prof. Joseph Tainter
Utah State University

Prof. Joseph Tainter received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from Northwestern University in 1975. He has taught at the University of New Mexico and Arizona State University, and until 2005 directed the Cultural Heritage Research Project in the Rocky Mountain Research Station. He has been a professor in ENVS since 2007, serving as Department Head from 2007 to 2009. His study of why societies collapse led to research on sustainability, with emphases on energy and innovation. He has also conducted research on land-use conflict and human responses to climate change. Dr. Tainter has appeared in documentary films and television programs, in print media, and in radio programs. He appeared in the film The 11th Hour, produced by Leonardo diCaprio.

Prof. Ann Kinzig
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University

Prof. Ann Kinzig looks at how humans shape and influence their natural environments, and what this means for both human health and the Earth's ecosystems. Her scientific research focuses broadly on ecosystem services, conservation-development interactions, and the resilience of natural-resource systems. She is currently involved in two major research projects, including: (1) the resilience of pre-historic landscapes in the American Southwest; and (2) modelling anthropogenic effects in the spread of diseases. More recently, her research interests have involved understanding how and when universities can effectively address societal challenges while still maintaining integrity in scholarship, and how they must be organized to do so. Professor Kinzig is also interested in science policy and emerging issues in the field of sustainability. She was the first-ever Roger Revelle Fellow in Global Stewardship, and in that role, served in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Clinton administration.

All you need to know

This event is part of a series of online discussions aims to advance the knowledge about tipping elements, irreversibility, and abrupt changes in the Earth system. It supports efforts to increase consistency in treatment of tipping elements in the scientific community, develop a research agenda, and design joint experiments and ideas for a Tipping Element Model Intercomparison Project (TipMip).

This discussion series is a joint activity of the Analysis, Integration, and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES) global research project of Future Earth, the Earth Commission Working Group 1 Earth and Human Systems Intercomparison Modelling Project (EHSMIP) under the Global Commons Alliance and the Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse Activity of World Climate Research Program (WCRP).

Organized by

Analysis, Integration, and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES)

The Analysis, Integration, and Modeling of the Earth System (AIMES) project is an international network of Earth system scientists and scholars that seek to develop innovative, interdisciplinary ways to understand the complexity of the natural world and its interactions with human activities. AIMES is a global research project of Future Earth.

Earth Commission

The Earth Commission is a major scientific assessment, hosted by Future Earth, to define a safe and just corridor for people and planet. The Commission will inform the creation of science-based targets, the “1.5-degree equivalents”, to help maintain and protect critical global commons – our shared climate, land, biodiversity, freshwater, atmosphere and oceans. The Earth Commission is an international team of leading natural and social scientists and five working groups of additional experts. It forms the scientific cornerstone of the Global Commons Alliance.

Future Earth

Future Earth is a global network of scientists, researchers, and innovators collaborating for a more sustainable planet. Future Earth initiates and supports international collaboration between researchers and stakeholders to identify and generate the integrated knowledge needed for successful transformations towards societies that provide good and fair lives for all within a stable and resilient Earth system. Future Earth is the host of the Earth Commission.

WCRP Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse Activity.

The Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse Activity is an exploration of the routes to “safe landing” spaces for human and natural systems. It will explore future pathways that avoid dangerous climate change while at the same time contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those of climate action, zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, and healthy ecosystems above and below water. The relevant time scale is multi-decadal to millennial.

World Climate Research Programme

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) leads the way in addressing frontier scientific questions related to the coupled climate system — questions that are too large and too complex to be tackled by a single nation, agency or scientific discipline. Through international science coordination and partnerships, WCRP contributes to advancing our understanding of the multi-scale dynamic interactions between natural and social systems that affect climate.