The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of CivilizationsIn this New York Times bestseller, Brian Fagan shows how climate transformed-and sometimes destroyed--human societies during the earth's last global warming phase. From the 10th to 15th centuries the earth experienced a rise in surface temperature that changed climate worldwide-a preview of today's global warming. In some areas, including much of Western Europe, longer summers brought bountiful crops and population growth that led to cultural flowering. In others, drought shook long-established societies, such as the Maya and the Indians of the American Southwest, whose monumental buildings were left deserted as elaborate social structures collapsed. Brian Fagan examines how subtle changes in the environment had far-reaching effects on human life, in a narrative that sweeps from the Arctic ice cap to the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. The lessons of history suggest we may be yet be underestimating the power of climate change to disrupt our lives today. |
Contents
The Mantle of the Poor | |
The Flail of | |
The Golden Trade of the Moors | |
Inuit and Qadlunaat | |
The Megadrought Epoch | |
Lords of the Water Mountains | |
The Lords of Chimor | |
Bucking the Trades | |
The Flying Fish Ocean | |
Chinas Sorrow | |
The Silent Elephant | |
Acknowledgments | |
Notes | |
Other editions - View all
The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations Brian Fagan Limited preview - 2008 |
The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations Brian Fagan No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
acorns Africa agriculture American ancient Angkor Angkor Wat Archaeology Arctic areas arid Asia basin Bering Strait California camel canoes Cariaco basin central Chaco Canyon chapter Chimor Chimu China cities climate change coast coastal coral cores crops desert drought east eastern El Niños ENSO environment Europe famine farmers farming fish flood forest Ginghis Khan global gold Greenland harvest horses human hunger Indian Intertropical Convergence Zone Inuit irrigation island kilometers lake land landscape Little Ice Age lived lords major Mande Maya civilization Medieval Warm Period meters miles million Mongols monsoon mountains moved Niña Niños nomads Norse northern numbers ocean Oscillation Pacific percent plant Polynesian population proxies Pueblo rain rainfall Rapa Nui records river rulers Sahara Sahel sailed season settlements societies soil southern square kilometers steppes summer thousand years ago today’s trade trees tropical valleys villages voyages warm centuries water supplies western winds winter