Statement:

Human-Induced Climate Change:A Statement from Colleagues in the Humanities and Social Sciences; A Call for Analysis and Action

We, practitioners of the Humanities and Social Sciences wish to affirm that investigations and findings from our colleagues in the scientific community overwhelmingly support the conclusion that contemporary global warming is anthropogenic: that is, at least in considerable part, a consequence of our own individual and collective human actions, at all levels of local, national and international society, economy and polity.

On the basis of the evidence, we believe that our impact on the biosphere is so serious, not to say accelerating at such a rate, that it is certain to disrupt the life-support systems upon which we, as an interconnected global community depend, and to a degree that now imperils our long-term presence as a species on this precious planet, just as it also imperils all other species who are dependent upon us for their own survival.

We cannot forecast how or when this disruption will bring absolute catastrophe in its wake, although we note that for many regions, especially in the poorest countries of the South, the impact of anthropogenic climate change, often in combination with existing aspects of environmental degradation, is already disastrous. What we can say with conviction is that we are unable to continue our professional roles as if none of this were happening.

We therefore propose that as teachers, researchers and students of complex human societies of the past and present, whether as historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, human geographers, demographers, philosophers, writers, students of politics, economics, international relations, religion, literature and culture, or of other related fields, that our role and responsibility must be directed increasingly towards an understanding of how we arrived at this point of crisis. By the same token, we must seek to understand not only how societies, polities and cultures have previously, or currently, sustained themselves in conditions of scarcity and adversity but through our own actions also take some personal responsibility by reducing our carbon footprints if not to remedy then at least to help mitigate the consequences of climate change

To this end, we, the undersigned, support the goals of Rescue!History which recognises the urgency of the situation we are now in, and seeks to develop, both individually and collectively, research, curricula, and other educational programmes of past and present societies that will contribute to disseminating knowledge about the human origins, impacts and consequences of anthropogenic climate change, while also enabling and empowering the broader public to make the epochal changes that are going to be needed if we are to survive and sustain ourselves in the face of the challenge before us.

Signatories:

Prof. Steven Hartman – Department of Humanities – Mid Sweden University

Dr Nicola Whyte – Department of History – University of Exeter

Mr Víctor José Ortega Muñoz – Doctorando Hª Contemporánea – Algarrobo-Costa

Mr Gordon Asher – University of Glasgow – Glasgow

Mr Mehmet Ratip – Writer / PhD candidate at Middle East Technical University, Dept. of Political Science – Ankara, Turkey / Lefkosa, N. Cyprus

Mr Mohamed Musthafa Muzammil – NGO – Kinniya

Dr. Justin Kenrick – Anthropologist, Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews – St Andrews

Dr. Andrew Jones – University of Southampton – Southampton

Dr. Timothy Cooper – University of Exeter – Penryn

Mr Robert Jenks – University of Bath – Bath, UK

Mr Bernard Semeon Kanyumbu – Caritas Malawi-DRR Coordinator – Dedza.

Mr Gregory Akall – Cardiff University – Cardiff

Mr Adrian Gallagher – University of Sheffield – Sheffield

Mr Sajid Hussain – Rescuee 1122 pakistan – sargodha

Mr Glen Thompson – Dept of History, Stellenbosch University – Stellenbosch

Mr Hellmuth Christian Stuven – Teacher & master in environmental studies – Roskilde

Mr Paddy Collis – Archives Hub – Manchester

Mr Jonathan Ward – University of Stockholm – Stockholm

Prof. Tore Linné Eriksen – Oslo University College – Oslo

Prof. Alejandro Torres-Abreu – Instituto Investigaciones Interdisciplinarias, Universidad de Puerto Rico en Cayey – Cayey,PR

Miss Danielle Coombe – London

Dr. Jan Oosthoek – University of Newcastle – Newcastle upon Tyne

Dr. Stephen Bulman – Newman College of HE – Birmingham

Miss Ashleigh Toll – Editor, Wessex Scene – University of Southampton – Southampton

Dr. Chris Callow – University of Birmingham – Birmingham

Mr David Rosenberg – Teacher and writer – London

Mr Richard Jordan – University of Southampton – Southampton

Dr. Stephen Morton – University of Southampton – Southampton

Ms Barbara Rassi – University of Southampton – Guildford

Mrs Tehmina Goskar – University of Southampton – Salisbury

Mr Ryan Jepson – Environmental Sciences – ETH, Zurich – Zurich

Mr Keith Milner – Acupuncturist -Mid Wales – Newtown

Dr. Penny Roberts – Dept of History, University of Warwick – Coventry

Ms Sarah Viner – Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield – Sheffield

Prof. Patrick Ainley – University of Greenwich – London

Dr. Sarah Pearce – University of Southampton – Southampton

Prof. Anne Curry – University of Southampton – Southampton

Prof. Dave Webb – Praxis Centre – Leeds

Dr. Joyce Canaan – UCE Birmingham – Birmingham

Dr. Mike Casselden – Chartered Town Planner & Researcher, also volunteer organiser for VegNE, a vegetarian group in the North-East of England affiliated to the Vegetarian Society – Newcastle Upon Tyne

Dr. Siew-Peng Lee – Social Anthropologist and Founder of Organic-Ally – Harrow

Ms Julie Cappleman-Morgan – Evaluation Officer/Social Researcher – Staffordshire UK

Dr. Dimitrij Mlekuž – Dept. of Archaeology, University of Ljubljana – Ljubljana

Miss Maree van Doorn – Independent field technician – Sydney

Mr Michael Morrison – James Cook University – Cairns

Dr. Umberto Albarella – Dept of Archaeology, University of Sheffield – Sheffield

Mr Martin Jelfs – Psychotherapist – Salisbury

Dr. Rob Johnson – Warwick

Mr Anthony Rudolf – London

Mr Jack Betterly – Albuquerque

Ms Athena Drakou – University of Southampton – Southampton

Mr Christopher Shaw – Seaford

Prof. Colin Feltham – Sheffield Hallam University – Sheffield

Dr. Steve Wright – Leeds Metropolitan University – LEEDS

Prof. Robin Attfield – Cardiff University – Cardiff

Dr. Roman Krznaric – Independent researcher and writer – Oxford

Dr. Mark Levene – University of Southampton – Southampton

Dr. Richard Maguire – University of East Anglia – Norwich

Dr. Jean-François Mouhot – University of Birmingham – Birmingham

Email marianne@crisis-forum.org.uk to sign the letter and add your name to the list.