About the programme

As biodiversity loss and climate change continue at a rapid pace, new ways of thinking about the pasts, presents, and futures of our environments are more important than ever. Yet no discipline alone has the scope to understand or conceptualise the socio-ecological complexities around us. Changing Environments confront this challenge by crossing boundaries between academic disciplines and between academia and society.

There is widespread recognition that environmental crises will not be “solved” by technological solutions, but will require new narratives, social practices, and institutions. Here, the humanities offer distinct and essential insights, for example, by showing how:

• historical perspectives can open new visions for present action
• research on conflicts and debates can help stakeholders to bridge differences
• attention to aesthetics helps us to design greener cities
• research on other world regions can help us to work on sustainability together
• consideration of ethical dimensions can offer new insights into ecological responsibility

By showcasing the power of the humanities to foster novel conversations and collaborations, our research program joins in efforts to foster socio-ecological sustainability.

The Changing Environments Research Programme and the Centre for Environmental Humanities (CEH) are closely connected but have different organisational roles. The research programme is based at the School of Culture and Society and brings together researchers across the school, while CEH has a broader reach across Aarhus University and internationally. The two work closely together to support and develop research in Environmental Humanities.