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Day 1: State of the Planet
Theme: Transforming our way of living
How has the planet responded to large climate change pressures in the past?
Session Content
Over recent and future decades, Earth is experiencing climate forcing of a scale and rate that is very unusual compared to natural variations of the past. Nonetheless, there are times in the past when the planet has had to respond to changes of a similar scale, but slower; or of a similar pace, but only regionally.
In this session, we will first lay out the evidence for large climate changes of the past, concentrating especially on:
- (a) The major reorganisations as ice ages came and went
- (b) The very rapid changes (Dansgaard-Oeschger events), centred on the North Atlantic, that occurred during the last glacial period
We will then call on experts to present evidence about how both ecosystems and human populations dealt with these real past changes.
Finally, we will convene a panel of experts from the physical and social science arenas to discuss how our present societies would be expected to react to such well-documented changes.
An open poster session will invite presentations about the real nature, cause, and rate of past changes; about the documented reaction of the biosphere (including humans) to them; and about the options that a human society of today's complexity would have faced if it had been confronted with such changes.
One motivation is that it may be easier to focus discussion by confronting the society of today with the documented past, rather than with uncertain future projections. Note that this session is proposed on behalf of the IGBP-PAGES steering committee. Submit an abstract for this session.
Understanding the past helps shape our future. By examining how our planet has responded to large climate change pressures in the past, we can gain valuable insights into how ecosystems and human populations coped with such significant shifts. This session at the Planet Under Pressure conference aims to explore the evidence from major climate changes, such as ice ages and rapid events in the North Atlantic during the last glacial period. Experts from various fields will analyze the historical data, discussing how societies then and now can adapt to these changes. The open poster session will also provide a platform to present and discuss past changes, the associated reactions of the biosphere, and the options available to our complex society in the face of similar challenges. Join the session to dive into the past and find answers for a resilient future.
This session is part of the IGBP-PAGES steering committee's contributions towards better understanding and preparing for global climate change events.