BU Research Blog

Even given everything that’s been going on in 2021 so far, somehow the fact that the UN Climate Summet COP26 is taking place in Glasgow in November has still figured significantly in news agendas. In fact, much of what’s been happening in 2021 – heat ‘domes’ in Northwest Coast North America and freezing weather in the American Southwest, devastating floods in Germany, heatwaves in Siberia, rain on the Greenland Ice Shelf, to name just a few recent headlines – has raised the profile of, and expectations for, COP26. While of course not immune to criticism and skepticism, the conference represents a vital opportunity for climate scientists and other researchers to discuss the issues with policymakers and stakeholders from across the globe. At the Institute for Modelling Socio-Environmental Transitions (IMSET), we’re ensuring that the huge time-depth of knowledge and data on environmental change and human responses that archaeology, palaeoecology and related historical disciplines can provide are taken seriously and contribute to a better understanding of how and why climates change, their effects on human societies, and how we can mitigate the worst of those effects. We’re delighted to announce that IMSET has now been officially recognised by the UNFCC as an observer organization, and several members of IMSET will be attending COP26 in Glasgow. Are you working on climate and environmental change and/or its effects on human societies and would like to know more? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line at IMSET@bournemouth.ac.uk.