The Inca string code that reveals Peru’s climate history

Andean people of the past looked at these strings as a record of the climate, and they studied them to understand patterns.

Sabine Hyland, Professor of Social Anthropology, University of St Andrews • conversation
June 17, 2025 ~5 min

One lawsuit just helped melt the fossil fuel industry’s defence against being held accountable for climate change

Legal action by a Peruvian farmer has signalled a shift in the global conversation.

Benjamin Franta, Associate Professor of Climate Litigation, University of Oxford • conversation
May 30, 2025 ~8 min


Peru’s ancient irrigation systems succeeded in turning deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed

Ancient practices hold important lessons for farmers facing drying lands, but they were often more complex than modern societies realize. Glacier loss adds to the challenge today.

Ari Caramanica, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Vanderbilt University • conversation
April 8, 2025 ~11 min

Peru’s ancient irrigation systems turned deserts into farms because of the culture − without it, the systems failed

Ancient practices hold important lessons for farmers facing drying lands, but they were often more complex than modern societies realize. Glacier loss adds to the challenge today.

Ari Caramanica, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Vanderbilt University • conversation
April 8, 2025 ~11 min

How ‘Dune’ became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement − and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology

When Frank Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing ‘Dune,’ he wasn’t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.

Devin Griffiths, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences • conversation
March 15, 2024 ~10 min

What ancient farmers can really teach us about adapting to climate change – and how political power influences success or failure

Agricultural sustainability is as much about power and sovereignty as it is about soil, water and crops.

Chelsea Fisher, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of South Carolina • conversation
Feb. 26, 2024 ~11 min

A Peruvian farmer is trying to hold energy giant RWE responsible for climate change – the inside story of his groundbreaking court case

If this case succeeds, it could set a precedent to hold major polluters responsible for the effects of climate change – even on the other side of the world.

Noah Walker-Crawford, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Political Science, UCL • conversation
Nov. 27, 2023 ~26 min

Peruvian writers tell of a future rooted in the past and contemporary societal issues

In the Global South, a group of writers are rejecting the norms of science fiction and commenting on the future in a way that embraces Indigenous culture.

Rocio Quispe Agnoli, William J. Beal Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University • conversation
Aug. 31, 2023 ~7 min


Ancient DNA reveals origins of Machu Picchu workers

Ancient DNA reveals for the first time where workers buried at Machu Picchu more than 500 years ago came from within the lost Inca Empire.

Molly McCrory-Tulane • futurity
July 31, 2023 ~5 min

Indigenous defenders stand between illegal roads and survival of the Amazon rainforest – Brazil's runoff election could be a turning point

Illegal roads have brought deforestation, fire and other environmental damage to the Amazon. The results of the 2022 presidential runoff could have a major impact for the future.

David S. Salisbury, Associate Professor of Geography, Environment, and Sustainability, University of Richmond • conversation
Sept. 29, 2022 ~13 min

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