A Cultural History of ClimatePolity, 2010 - 295 Seiten Global warming and the future of the climate is one of the greatest challenges of our time, but what do we know about climate variations 500 years ago, or 5000 years ago? How can we know anything at all about the history of weather? What impact have climate changes had on human prosperity and the spirit of invention? In this major new book Wolfgang Behringer introduces us to the latest historical research on the development of the earth's climate. He focuses above all on the cultural reactions to climate change through the ages, showing how even minor changes in the climate sometimes resulted in major social, political and religious upheavals. By examining how our predecessors responded to climate changes, Behringer provides us with a fresh basis for thinking about how we might address the serious climatic challenges we face today. |
Inhalt
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CLIMATE? | 8 |
GLOBAL WARMING THE HOLOCENE | 31 |
GLOBAL COOLING THE LITTLE ICE AGE | 85 |
CULTURAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE LITTLE ICE AGE | 121 |
GLOBAL WARMING THE MODERN WARM PERIOD | 168 |
EPILOGUE SINS AGAINST THE ENVIRONMENT AND GREENHOUSE CLIMATE | 206 |
NOTES | 218 |
FURTHER READING | 262 |
| 264 | |
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Africa agriculture already animals anthropogenic areas Asia atmosphere became began Brockhaus Enzyklopädie carbon dioxide caused Celsius cent Central Europe China Christian Pfister civilization climate change climatologists cold collapse countries crisis culture death decades decline degrees Celsius disease drought early modern earth effects emissions empire England environmental epidemics eruption especially European example famine flooding forest France froze gases Geschichte glacier global cooling global warming greenhouse Greenland growth harvest failures high Middle Ages Holocene Homo human hunger ice core Iceland impact increased industrial IPCC IPCC Report Johann Klima land late Little Ice Age livestock living London medieval warm period Munich natural Neolithic Revolution North America northern plague planet political population rainfall regions religious rise Roman sapiens Science sea level settlement social society southern Stone Age temperature thousand tion twentieth century volcanic volcanic winter WB/RZ weather Willi Dansgaard winter witches Wolfgang Behringer