Three European Research Council (ERC) funded projects demonstrate from very different perspectives how a global challenge such as climate change can be tackled. Essential new insights into this complex topic are gained by unique approaches of data collecting, novel theoretical frameworks, and, above all, the curiosity to push further the borders of our knowledge. Who would expect that rock hyrax middens offer an exceptional resource for understanding climate change across the whole of southern Africa -- a climatically sensitive, but poorly understood, region of the globe -- during the last 50,000 years? And how can formal methods be used to take the dynamics of social-ecological systems into account to achieve a systematic and rigorous assessment of factors determining resilience? Finally, why can tracing microscopic layers of volcanic ash, over much wider geographical regions than previously thought possible, represent the only independent constraint for resolving past events on decadal time-scales? These cutting-edge projects are funded by the ERC. This symposium will highlight original and unexpected approaches, providing multiple, deep perspectives on complex phenomena and challenges facing us today.