What can we learn from the past about today’s climate change? On Tuesday afternoon, October 20, professor and environmental historian Dagomar Degroot will give a public lecture on this topic at the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. As part of the Huygens Institute’s HEAT project, he will demonstrate how historical insights can contribute to our understanding of climate change.

Historical Insights into a Changing Climate

Climate change is one of the most profound challenges of our time. To better understand it, researchers look beyond the present and the future. Historical climate research offers insight into how climate and human societies have influenced one another over the centuries.
After a brief introduction to ongoing historical climate research projects at the Huygens Institute, Degroot will discuss the significance of these historical perspectives. What can historical sources tell us about the relationship between humans and the environment? And what lessons can we draw from them for contemporary climate issues?

Moderator Nienke de la Rive Box will open and facilitate the event. Following the lecture, she will engage in a discussion with Degroot and the audience about what history can teach us about climate and the environment.

Praktische informatie 

Datum: 20 oktober 2026 
Tijd: 14:00–16:15 (inloop en registratie vanaf 13:30, na afloop is er een borrel) 
Locatie: Het Trippenhuis, Kloveniersburgwal 29, 1011 JV Amsterdam 
Aanmelden: Toegang is gratis, registratie via Eventbrite 

De voertaal van het evenement is Engels.