We present two examples of how the environmental humanities have built bridges with governments and made effective policy interventions. Lessons can be drawn about how public humanities can help develop social and cultural understanding and societal resilience.

The public humanities aim for maximum social impact – scholarship that makes concrete contributions to pressing social problems here and now. However, it is often difficult to assess the immediate impact of research. Findings based on philosophical, historical, or aesthetic modes of inquiry can take years—even generations—to filter through systems that are resistant to change. Impact may occur at a time very distant from the research activity and is therefore difficult to measure.Footnote ¹ This challenge is not exclusive to humanistic fields of scholarship. Examples include the discovery of the health hazards of tobacco or the benefits of seat belts in cars. On the positive side, the challenge of demonstrating the impact of the humanities in the public sphere has models of proven success in the field of environmental humanities.