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Informationen zum Autor Professor of History and Chair of Early Modern History at Saarland University, Germany Klappentext 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. Zusammenfassung 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. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface vii Introduction 1 1. What Do We Know about the Climate? 8 Sources of Climate History 8 Causes of Climate Change 14 The Palaeoclimate since the Formation of the Planet 20 2. Global Warming: The Holocene 31 Children of the Ice Age 31 Global Warming and Civilization 39 From Roman Optimum to Medieval Warm Period 60 3. Global Cooling: The Little Ice Age 85 The Concept of the Little Ice Age 85 The Changing Environment 88 Dance of Death 103 Winter Blues 115 4. Cultural Consequences of the Little Ice Age 121 The Wrathful God 121 Sin Economics as the Motor of Change 133 The Cool Sun of Reason 146 5. Global Warming: The Modern Warm Period 168 Apparent Uncoupling from the Forces of Nature 168 The Discovery of Global Warming 182 Reactions to Climate Change 191 6. Epilogue: Sins against the Environment and Greenhouse Climate 206 Notes 218 Further reading 262 Index 264 ...
