Telling Stories of Change

History is the stories of who ‘we’ are…

and where we have come from

Responsibility and history-making

UNESCO and the social responsibility

of science 1940s

The Global Change Community

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE

CHANGE (IPCC)

The Anthropocene

The Anthropocene defines the momentous and historical change in circumstances whereby the biophysical

systems of the world are now no longer independent of the

actions of people. It is the Geological Epoch dominated

by humans.

IHOPE Science Plan v. 4 6.9 (August 2006), p. 4

What will IHOPE do?

An integrated history from IHOPE will provide a rich picture of how (and why) the planet and human societies have changed in historical times. [It will] unravel Earth system changes through analysis of the coupled human-environmental system to understand…the importance of environmental dynamics on the evolution of society, and …how ….human activities contribute to the observed changes in Earth system dynamics.

http://www.blackwell-compass.com/subject/history/section_home?section=hico-world

History for the Anthropocene

Libby Robin and Will Steffen,

Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University and Centre for Historical Research, National Museum of Australia Vol. 5, July 2007

History for sustainability

Sustainability does not aim for a singular ‘steady state’, but rather the best possible

dynamic for dwelling in the world, taking into account the needs of economy, society and

environment.