Supported projects

As the effects of climate change intensify, understanding how past societies responded to natural climate and environmental variability becomes increasingly urgent. Doing so requires a tight cooperation between specialists in geosciences (paleoclimatology, paleoenvironments) and social sciences (archeology, socioecology). Yet, these communities largely work independently, which limits our ability to investigate complex climate-human interactions. One key question that remains unresolved due to this lack of genuine interdisciplinarity is how human societies responded to climate-driven environmental variability, particularly in high-latitude environments. Understanding these responses is critical not only for revealing how past societies achieved resilience in such changing and hostile environments, but also for informing how modern societies might adapt to ongoing and future climate change. The goal of this application is to organize a 2.5-day interdisciplinary workshop bringing together specialists in paleoclimatology, paleoenvironments, and archeology of southern South America, to address a common scientific question: how did climate variability and the related changes in glacier extent, salinity, productivity, and vegetation influence human occupation and mobility in southern Patagonia? The workshop will take place at Lumen (UPSaclay) in September 2026 and it will feature invited experts, early- career scientists, and students, from at least seven EU and South American countries. More than fifteen researchers have already confirmed their participation, and the workshop will remain fully open to additional early-career participants and students from the DIM-PAMIR network. This workshop is sponsored by INQUA (International Quaternary Association), the IPSL Climate-Society Center, and the French Institute of Chile, and co-funding is requested for travel, accommodation, and catering during the event.

Legend : Theodor Ohlsen 1894 – Durch Süd-Amerika