Climate Change and Transcontinental Exchange: Drivers of Civilizational Dynamics across the Silk Road

CHAIR

Fahu Chen

CO-CHAIR

DESCRIPTION

The Silk Road traverses complex terrains and landscapes, including plateaus, the Gobi Desert, oases, mountains, basins, forests, and steppes across Eurasia. It represents rich histories, dynamic human migration and connectivity, diverse environments, intricate geopolitical conflicts, early forms of globalization, and vibrant exchanges in religions, culture, science, and technology. The Silk Road offers a unique opportunity to further understand the long-term interaction between nature and humans throughout centuries. Recognizing the role of the climate change in shaping the ancient Silk Road requires an interdisciplinary approach that can offer valuable insights into current climate change adaptation strategies, as well as the regional sustainable development.

The aim of the conference is to strengthen dialogue among the countries of the Silk Road region, encouraging humane responses to the changing environmental, economic, and social challenges and impacts. It will focus on contemporary trends such as sustainability, cross-cultural cooperation, interdisciplinary scientific relations, digitalization and technology, and the appreciation of geopolitics.

Topics: 1) Paleolithic culture and human migration; 2) The origin of agriculture and trans-Eurasian diffusion of early farming and herding; 3) Genetic History of Silk Road Populations; 4) Human, environmental and climate interactions: past, present and future; 5) Silk Road culture and language studies, and East-West exchange on science and technology