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Echoes of Eruptions: Humanity's Story in the Shadow of Volcanoes

Lara Mani^1,2^, Mike Cassidy1,3, Margaret Grieve1 and Janot Mendler de Suarez4

  • Affiliations:  1 Global Volcano Risk Alliance, UK; 2 Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; 3 School of Geography, Earth an Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK; 4 Boston University Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston, MA, USA. 

  • Presentation type: Demonstration

  • Demonstration time: Check the SciCom program, Room Esplanade

  • Programme No: 7.4.20

  • Theme 7 > Session 4

Abstract

Human history is deeply entwined with volcanic activity, with eruptions a powerful force in shaping our modern societies. Volcanic eruptions can cause global chaos through their interactions with human systems and through their influence on global climate. Indeed, eruptions have been linked to the rise and fall of civilisations, including the Chinese dynasties over the past 2000 years, the Sasanian Empire and the Eastern Türk Empire. They drive migrations of population and have even influenced the drawing of land borders. Human societies have long focused their development in the shadow of volcanoes, which provide rich and fertile lands to support their populations and for this reason, today, some 10% of the global population, now live in proximity to active volcanic regions. But despite the benefits they provide, volcanic eruptions pose a considerable risk to our global societies, that remains poorly understood and woefully neglected. In our highly immersive and visual exhibit, designed by professional artists, we will share the stories of how disruptive volcanic eruptions throughout history have shaped human societies and explain how learning from the past helps us to prepare for the risks we face in the future. Using data sculptures, narratives and games, we will take participants on a journey through time, explaining how volcanoes can affect our modern world, and share ideas about what we should be doing to increase our resilience to future eruptions, and how a new charity in this space, the Global Volcano Risk Alliance, aims to do this.