Changing the Atmosphere Anthropology and Climate Change Global Climate Change Task Force Members: Shirley J. Fiske (Chair), Susan A. Crate, Carole L. Crumley, Kathleen Galvin, Heather Lazrus, George Luber, Lisa Lucero, Anthony Oliver-Smith, Ben Orlove, Sarah Strauss, and Richard R. Wilk PREFERRED CITATION Fiske, S.J., Crate, S.A., Crumley, C.L., Galvin, K., Lazrus, H., Lucero, L. Oliver- Smith, A., Orlove, B., Strauss, S., Wilk, R. 2014. Changing the Atmosphere. Anthropology and Climate Change. Final report of the AAA Global Climate Change Task Force, 137 pp. December 2014. Arlington, VA: American Anthropological Association. Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................................. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 5 STATEMENT ON HUMANITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE ............................................................................................. 9 BACKGROUND: CHARGE TO GCCTF AND TERMS USED IN REPORT ....................................................................... 10 AUTHORIZATION AND CHARGE TO GCCTF ........................................................................................................................ 10 TERMINOLOGY IN THE REPORT........................................................................................................................................ 11 1.0 INTRODUCTION: ANTHROPOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE ............................................................................ 13 1.1 CLIMATE CHANGE IS AFFECTING US NOW ................................................................................................................... 13 1.2 A BRIEF LOOK BACKWARD ....................................................................................................................................... 14 1.3 ROLES, VANTAGE POINTS, AND CONTRIBUTIONS .......................................................................................................... 16 1.4 METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE: DRIVERS, IMPACTS, ENGAGEMENTS ............................... 18 1.5 THE ANTHROPOCENE: AN INTEGRATIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE DISCIPLINE ...................................................................... 21 1.6 ENGAGEMENT AND POLICY ...................................................................................................................................... 21 2.0 ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE DRIVERS OF CLIMATE CHANGE .................................................... 23 2.1 DRIVERS OF CLIMATE CHANGE: CONSUMPTION, LAND USE, ENERGY, AND POPULATION ...................................................... 23 2.2 ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS ................................................................... 28 3.0 LESSONS OF THE PAST AND WHAT IT CAN TEACH US ..................................................................................... 30 3.1 CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOCIETY ................................................................................................................................ 32 3.2 THE RELATION OF CLIMATE TO OTHER FACTORS IN THE COLLAPSE OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE .................................... 34 3.3 THE RELATION OF CLIMATE TO OTHER FACTORS IN THE COLLAPSE OF CLASSIC MAYA KINGSHIP ............................................. 35 3.4 USING THE PAST AS GUIDANCE FOR THE FUTURE .......................................................................................................... 37 4.0 ADAPTATION, VULNERABILITY, AND RESILIENCE IN CLIMATE CHANGE ......................................................... 41 4.1 THE CONCEPT OF ADAPTATION IN ANTHROPOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 41 4.2 THE CONCEPT OF VULNERABILITY .............................................................................................................................. 44 4.3 THE CONCEPT OF RESILIENCE .................................................................................................................................... 46 4.4 THE ARTICULATION OF ADAPTATION, VULNERABILITY, AND RESILIENCE FOR POLICY ............................................................ 48 5.0 COMMUNITY-CENTERED APPROACHES TO CLIMATE CHANGE ....................................................................... 51 5.1 PLACE-BASED IMPACTS ........................................................................................................................................... 52 5.2 PATH-DEPENDENT IMPACTS ..................................................................................................................................... 53 5.3 FACILITATING COMMUNITY AGENCY .......................................................................................................................... 53 5.4 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ..................................................................................................................................... 55 6.0 INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH FRONTIERS .................................................................................................... 57 6.1. INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................. 57 6.2 KEY ELEMENTS OF ANTHROPOLOGY WITHIN INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES ....................................................................... 59 6.3 RESEARCH FRONTIERS ............................................................................................................................................. 65 7.0 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 69 8.0 RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE AAA EXECUTIVE BOARD ................................................................................. 73 8.1 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AAA ................................................................................................................................. 73 Changing the Atmosphere 2 8.2 RECOMMENDATIONS TO CATALYZE THE DISCIPLINE AND PROFESSION OF ANTHROPOLOGY ................................................... 73 8.3 RECOMMENDATIONS TO FORGE INTERDISCIPLINARY AND GLOBAL COLLABORATIONS ........................................................... 73 8.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH POLICY COMMUNITY AND MEDIA ............................................................... 74 APPENDIX 1: LIST OF AAA GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE TASK FORCE MEMBERS (2011–14) .................................... 75 APPENDIX 2: GCCTF ACTIVITIES, PROCESS AND PRODUCTS 2011-2014 ................................................................ 77 HOW DID THE AAA GCCTF COME TO BE AUTHORIZED? ..................................................................................................... 77 THE CHARGE TO THE TASK FORCE ................................................................................................................................... 78 HOW DID THE TASK FORCE GO ABOUT ITS WORK?............................................................................................................. 78 OUTREACH AND INFORMATION GATHERING WITHIN ANTHROPOLOGY .................................................................................... 79 COMMUNITY BUILDING AMONG ANTHROPOLOGISTS .......................................................................................................... 80 OUTREACH TO OTHER DISCIPLINES AND BROADER PUBLIC ................................................................................................... 82 INTERDISCIPLINARY OUTREACH ....................................................................................................................................... 83 SCHOOL FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH (SAR) SHORT SEMINAR: “CHANGING THE ATMOSPHERE: ANTHROPOLOGICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH CLIMATE” ................................................................................................................................................................... 85 DRAFTING AND REVIEWING THE REPORT .......................................................................................................................... 86 APPENDIX 3: OBJECTIVES OF THE AAA GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE TASK FORCE .................................................. 88 APPENDIX 4: “CHANGING THE ATMOSPHERE” COLUMNS IN ANTHROPOLOGY NEWS ......................................... 90 APPENDIX 5: SUPPLEMENTARY HISTORICAL MATERIAL FOR SECTION 1.0 ............................................................ 92 APPENDIX 6: SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS FOR SECTION 2.0 ............................................................................. 95 CONSUMPTION ............................................................................................................................................................ 95 LAND USE .................................................................................................................................................................. 96 POPULATION ..............................................................................................................................................................