A Cultural History of Climate

Global warming and the future of the climate is one of the greatestchallenges of our time, but what do we know about climatevariations 500 years ago, or 5000 years ago? How can we knowanything at all about the history of weather? What impact haveclimate changes had on human prosperity and the spirit ofinvention? In this major new book Wolfgang Behringer introduces us to thelatest historical research on the development of the earth'sclimate. He focuses above all on the cultural reactions to climatechange through the ages, showing how even minor changes in theclimate sometimes resulted in major social, political and religiousupheavals. By examining how our predecessors responded to climatechanges, Behringer provides us with a fresh basis for thinkingabout how we might address the serious climatic challenges we facetoday.