Climate Change and Human Evolution

Harvard FAS

How and why did climate change influence how humans evolved to be the way we are, and what are the implications of our evolutionary history for human biology in a post-industrial world? In addition, how did human activities drive and continue to influence climate change with major impacts on present and future ecosystems and societies? To tackle these important issues, this course reviews the story of how humans evolved through a series of major transitions starting with our divergence…