The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations | 
 enlarge | Author: Brian Fagan
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Category: Book
List Price: CDN$ 29.95
Buy New: CDN$ 17.74
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Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 16557
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 1596913924
Dewey Decimal Number: 904.5
EAN: 9781596913929
ASIN: 1596913924
Publication Date: February 2, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 Similar to Diamond's "Collapse" June 4, 2008
Ian Gordon Malcomson (Smithers, Canada)
In his latest study on how civilizations through the ages have been affected by changing climate patterns, Brian Fagan has produced a very persuasive and skillful interpretation of where we fit into the overall course of history. By the use of direct and indirect evidence, Fagan investigates a number of significant cultures as they lived in various places around the globe over time. His thesis is one that is derived from our modern appreciation of global warming: if the earth in recent times has gone through sustained periods of warming and cooling, could there be evidence to show that this phenomenon stretches back even further to ancient times? From this argument, Fagan makes the point that with each of these climatic changes came serious economic and political consequences for the people of that region. Those with a certain variability in their livelihoods, liking fishing, hunting and farming, were able to survive; those with none died. The historical records show a fairly consistent correlation between the size of tree rings, the density of ocean silt, the cost of commodities, personal observations, and natural occurrences like El Nino to be able to confirm a pattern of feast and famine for numerous societies. While Fagan's work shows that man has, for the most part, been able to adjust to these many, often-irregular and disturbing climate changes, something ominous awaits him in this latest warming trend. Humankind's growing reliance on natural resources like water for industrial purposes greatly reduces its chances of having it at critical times for crops, fish, and drinking water. I found Fagan to present a very convincing array of evidence to make his case that global warming is not a new-fangled notion that will come and go within a short period of time.
It's all about rain . . . or lack of it June 1, 2008
Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)
Climate change is a regular item in the news. Most articles and books look at the future - few address the past. While the human condition is a large consideration, real effects are not often dwelt on. Brian Fagan makes up for both these lacks in this finely researched and comprehensive study. In a framework centred on a millennium in the past, he takes us on a global tour of what is known as The Medieval Warm Period. Lasting for half a millennium, about 850 C.E. to 1300 C.E, Fagan shows us the importance of understanding the global nature of climate and its interconnected elements.
In Europe, the era was later named the High Middle Ages. Flourishing trade, wine grown in the British Isles and shipped to France [!] and the mighty cathedrals erected typified the period. Elsewhere, conditions weren't as salubrious. In the North American Southwest, drought brought to a close the civilisation of Chaco Canyon and toppled the great Mayan Empire. In Asia, the great Ankor Wat, built to symbolise a vast and rich realm, was abandoned to the jungle. China's peasant population, always at the edge of survival, was driven from their lands in many places by alternating extended droughts and torrential rainfalls stripping the soil. Even the Mongol Horde was prompted to move in what proved nearly catastrophic for Europe, driven by the need for grazing lands.
Enduring climate change has been a human consideration from the beginning. Even our evolutionary roots lie in the drying of Africa and the subsequent emergence of the savannah. In one sense, climate is what brought us the role of the one bipedal ape. The development of agriculture made us yet more vulnerable to shifts in climate, Fagan reminds us. Dependence on rainfall is the foundation of raising crops, alleviated only a little by irrigation canals. Irrigated farming plays a major role in this book, with the South American and other civilisations struggling with problems of water management. Those lacking such amenities, such as California Indians, suffered drastically when the severest droughts in thousands of years killed off natural food supplies.
Fagan's talent as a writer is equalled by his feeling for the human condition. In each region he describes, it's more than weather changes that he's concerned with. It's what that meant to the local population and how it reacted. The author uses a deft ploy to capture the reader's interest at the beginning of each section. He sets up a local scene with imaginary, but carefully defined, participants. The situation reflects the weather and social conditions, indicating how those interact to produce behaviours and adjustments.
At first glance, this book may seem merely a "history" with little meaning for today's conditions or those of the future. However, it is far from that - being instead a diagnosis for what is to come. Fagan concludes by reminding us of past population dislocations resulting from the great droughts. That pressure is certain to emerge again, and he asks how ready we are to deal with it. Although climate change is "normal", as the events of the Medieval Warm Period demonstrate, the population today is vastly larger than it was then. With the human contribution to warming accelerating the process, it will be billions of people affected by what is to come. In the earlier time, some people, such as the Chaco Canyon residents, had the ability to adjust, our capacity to follow their example is curtailed by our high density centres. This book is an overdue warning of what we, or our grandchildren, will be facing. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
 World Civilizations during the Medieval Warm Period April 15, 2008
G. Poirier (Orleans, ON, Canada)
In this book, the author, a professor of anthropology, discusses the effects of the Medieval Warm Period (around 800 AD to 1200 AD) on then-existing civilizations throughout the world. In order to do this, he uses the results of both direct methods, e.g., various historical documents (whenever possible), as well as indirect methods, e.g., ice cores, deep sea and lake cores, tree rings, etc. In this way, he is able to quantify the magnitude of the warming at various locations and its effects on life at those sites. In the last chapter, the author reflects on the potential effects of a similar warming period on the societies of today. The writing style is authoritative, accessible and friendly; some sections are quite engaging while others can be a bit dry. This book can be enjoyed by anyone, although history, anthropology, climatology and archaeology buffs may find it most appealing.
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