Climate Change in Human History Prehistory to the Present

Climate Change and Human History provides an up-to-date and concise introduction to the relationship between human beings and climate change throughout history.

Starting with periods hundreds of thousands of years ago and continuing up to the present day, the book illustrates how natural climate variability affected early human societies, and how humans are now altering climate drastically within much shorter periods of time. For each major period of time, the book will explain how climate change has created opportunities as well as risks and challenges for human societies.

The book will introduce and develop several related themes including:

Phases of climate and history
Factors that shape climate
Climate shocks and sharp climate shifts
Climate and the rise and fall of civilizations
Industrialization and climate science
Accelerating climate change, human societies, and the future

An ideal companion for all students of environmental history, Climate Change and Human History clearly demonstrates the critical role of climate in shaping human history and of the experience of humans in both adapting to and shaping climate change.

Benjamin Lieberman is Professor of History at Fitchburg State University, USA. His most recent publications are Terrible Fate: Ethnic Cleansing in the Making of Modern Europe (2013) and The Holocaust and Genocides in Europe (2013).

Elizabeth Gordon is an Associate Professor of Geoscience at Fitchburg State University, USA.

Introduction
1. A Fragile Start: Ice Ages
2. The Rise of Farming
3. Complex Societies
4. Climate and Civilizations of the Middle Ages
5. Little Ice Age and Regional Climate Change
6. Humans Take Over: Industrialization and Climate Change
7. The Future is Now: Climate Change and Human Societies in the 21st Century
8. Climate Change and Human Responses: Projections and Controversies
Bibliography
Index

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