Summary

Humanities for the Environment is an international system of observatories, and ASU serves as the headquarters of the North American Observatory. Each of the other observatories—in Africa, Asia-Pacific, the Circumpolar North, East Asia, Europe and Australia-Pacific—is pursuing a theme specific to its region and local interests. The aim of the HFE Observatories, funded in their first phase by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is to identify, explore and demonstrate the contributions that humanistic and artistic disciplines can make to understanding and engaging with global environmental challenges. HFE research and projects illustrate how the humanities are changing to meet the challenges of the 21st century as they contribute significantly to the development of social, economic and science policy addressing environmental issues in civil and academic life.