ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE – DEFINING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN

Understanding of the origin, evolution and disappearance of species only began in the 19th century – which, in the grand scheme of things, is fairly recently. To many at the time the concept appeared ridiculous and unacceptable. The idea of humans and apes sharing a common ancestor met with the public outrage; it somehow stripped us from our humanity and it went against the view of people being much more than just an animal species. It seems to me that the 19^th century public ridiculed the idea of evolution largely because of the fear it provoked. Not only did it raise numerous daunting questions, it also introduced a new, scary notion of humans not being as special as they thought they were and – what’s worse – humanity not being set in stone.

Punch Almanack: Man is But a Worm (1881)

Fortunately, nowadays a vast majority of us feel comfortable with, and even fascinated by, our origins. We are fully aware that the current climate and the environmental conditions associated with it fluctuate in time. We also know that when the environment starts to changes, organisms have two ways to avoid extinction: migrate in search for preferred habitat or adapt by genetic change. We accept the fact that the concept of humanity has taken its shape gradually over millennia.

In my blog, I will attempt to reconstruct the evolutionary journey that brought us to where we are now. I will try to explain how the climate-driven environmental variations forced us to walk upright, make tools, develop complex mental and social behaviour, or depend on technology to alter our surroundings. Finally, I will explore the ways in which climate change defined humanity and, perhaps more importantly, I will investigate what current rapid climatic changes mean to the future of our, so far versatile and adaptable, species.